A section of asphalt on one of the ramps of the bridge across the Danube from Breila was asking, and the builder tried to lay several layers of asphalt to restore the levelness of the road surface, but without much success. CNAIR officials told HotNews.ro that there is some subsidence in the area of ​​the ramp that has reached 10-15 centimeters, so the builder will try to stabilize the ramp with some bored piles.

Monitorul de Brăila wrote that subsidence appeared on one of the ramps of the bridge on the Braila side, causing the asphalt to sag, and the builder was trying to fix the situation.

In a video posted by Monitorul de Brăila, you can see how part of the road has been repaved, but the difference in grade can still be seen. A drilling rig can be seen near the bridge ramp.

TsNAIR: There is subsidence of 10-15 centimeters, the developer is trying to stabilize the bridge slopes with bored piles

In connection with HotNews.ro, CNAIR spokesman Alin Sherbenescu admitted that there is some subsidence – that is, the lowering of the level of a part of the land below its own weight or below the weight of the structures located in this place.

• “The subsidence started last year, but not so much. Now they have reached 10-15 cm, as reported by the developer. Now the developer is trying to apply the solution with piles (no poles) drilled to stabilize ramps. It is currently in the soil testing phase, after which it will enter the corrective action phase,” Alin Sherbanescu told HotNews.ro.

According to him, the reason for the subsidence can be either poor-quality work by the developer, or mistakes made by the developer at the design stage, “or both.”

• “Now it’s not only about bringing it up to the level, but more large-scale work needs to be done. They tried to bring it (without asphalt) to the level, but the decision did not yield. They will have to put restrictions in place,” said a CNAIR spokesman.

The representative of TsNAIR wanted to clarify that the project was not received.

• “We will not receive it until it is issued in accordance with the regulations. Until they complete the work accordingly, we will not receive their project,” said Sherbenescu.

He also stated that the current subsidence is not related to the infiltrates that appeared in the anchor block, and is not related to the supports of the bridge itself.

Braille Bridge, which has been plagued by problems since its opening

Almost seven months have passed since the opening of traffic on the bridge over the Danube in Brail, but even now the work has not been completed, the cranes have not been completely dismantled, the final reception has not been done, restrictions are still in place. , and the connecting road to the bridge is only partially completed, without the main direction to Jijila – a simple road with one lane in each direction, which is not ready even now, although it has been operating since 2021.

In addition, from the moment of its opening until now, the bridge has been haunted by problems: from water seepage that appeared in the anchor block of the bridge cables, to irregularities that appeared in the summer on the layers of asphalt, to a curious case with screws. which were not pulled into protective parapets.

CNAIR: The contract is behind due to the developer / What he says about the intrusions that have appeared in the anchor blocks

“The contract with the contractor WeBuild is behind schedule due to its insufficient mobilization,” notes CNAIR, which says that work will be accepted only after all quality standards stipulated in the contract have been met.

In addition, after on-site inspections, the engineer and representatives of CNAIR discovered intrusions into the anchor blocks from the settlements of Breil and Jijila. Thus, in order to control infiltration and close reports of non-conformities, CNAIR carried out a “technical examination of the works carried out by the contractor on the construction site” and the first measure aimed at the following: monitoring the situation of the cities from the moment of detection of infiltrations and after the commissioning of 6 months; a significant part of these infiltrations has been stopped and as a result of the views given by the technical expert after the bridge was put into operation, he extended the monitoring period until 31.03.2024, and after that date the final decision on the closure of the infiltration.

“After the process of inspecting the parapet safety screws on the Braille Suspension Bridge, it was found that out of a total of 100,000 screws, 401 were loose, which is approximately 0.4% of the total number of these elements. Two weeks after the opening of the bridge, the engineer noticed the appearance of mudslides on the roadway. On 07/25/2023, the contractor substantiated the occurrence of these degradations as a result of intense traffic and high temperatures.

Also, on August 2, 2023, TsNAIR asked for clarifications regarding the occurrence of silting and possible violation of traffic restrictions. At the same time, the ISCTR has also asked for additional controls in sectors where restrictions have been imposed. So far, the contractor has intervened three times in the repair of the road structure on the bridge, but has not finally eliminated this problem. On September 8, 2023, the contractor informed the beneficiary about the measures taken to repair road 2, lane 1, namely milling and restoration of the wear layer,” the road company notes.

To complete all the works stipulated in the contract, the contractor still has to perform the following types of work: access roads (the road to Jijila), works on the construction of rain receivers, marking and installation of vertical-horizontal safety signals, elements of circulation and restoration work of settlements that have arisen during asphalting.

Inaugurated but not complete – Traffic restrictions and long overdue work on the Braille Bridge

The Braila Bridge over the Danube, one of the most complex infrastructure projects ever completed in Romania, was inaugurated on July 6.

Traffic was opened, although the work is not yet fully completed, and the main road connecting the coast at Tulchi was supposed to be ready last year. At the same time, traffic was opened with a speed limit of up to 80 km/h and a limited traffic schedule at night, so that the developer could dismantle the huge cranes involved in the construction.

The total length of the suspension bridge over the Danube is 1,974.30 meters, and the central opening is 1,120 meters.

comparative, the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has a length of 1,970 meters and a central span of 1,280 meters.

The Braila Bridge mainly has three spans: the main span (1120 m) and two side spans of 489.65 m on the Braila bank and 364.65 m on the Tulcea bank. On one side and on the other side there are two approach viaducts, each 110 m long.

At the time of its completion, it was considered the third largest bridge in Europe in terms of central span. More precisely, it is the peak of suspension bridges in the current EU – the Braila Bridge is the third largest span after the Great Belt Bridge – Denmark (1,624 meters) and the Hoga Kusten – Sweden Bridge (1,210 meters).

The two towers of the bridge reach a height of 192 meters and are practically the tallest buildings in Romania (except for some chimneys or antennas).

The four main piers of the bridge are hollow inside and equipped with elevators and stairs for maintenance.

The total length of roads (including the bridge) is 23,413 km and consists of two sections: the main Braila – Jijila road with a length of 19,095 km and connecting road with DN22 Smârdan – Măcin, 4328 km long.

• The main road Braila – Jijila. It has a length of 19.095 km and will be provided with two lanes of traffic in each direction up to 8 kilometers, and then one lane of traffic in each direction until the end of the project – 19 km. The road also has curb lanes, driveways, a median square, and a parapet area.

• Connecting road with DN22 Smârdan – Măcin (which opens on July 6). This 4.328 km long road has one lane in each direction. The connecting road starts from km 7+940 of the main road (Brăila-Jijila) and intersects with DN22 Smârdan-Măcin.

Bridge across the Danube from Braila – contract dates:

Length: Bridge + road Brăila – Jijila (19 km), connecting road DN22 Smârdan Măcin (4.3 km)

Value design and implementation contract: 1.99 billion lei (without VAT)

Total investment cost: 3,445,210,691.08 lei (including non-refundable European funds in the amount of 1,696,947,365.85 lei)

Builder: We Build (formerly Astaldi – Italy) – IHI Infrastructure System (Japan)

Signed contract: 15.01.2018 (terms: 12 months of design and 36 months of implementation)

Work started: December 2018 (permits for the construction of connecting roads were received only in March/May 2021)

Physical stage – the entire project: bridges – 99% / roads – 85%

Click on the plans to open them in a larger size in a separate window: