The Old Bridge in Bratislava will be closed

One of the main attractions of Bratislava - the Old Bridge - under the decision of the municipal authorities of the Slovak capital will be closed for pedestrian traffic and transport in connection with the critical state of the structure. The ban on the movement on the Old Bridge will enter into force on 15 May 2010.

Old Bridge in support of its title is the oldest bridge across the Danube in Bratislava. Old Bridge, which originally was called "Bridge of Franz Josef", was built in 1890. In its original form the Old Bridge existed until 1945. Then, at the end of the Second World War, the retreating German troops blew up one of the pillars of the bridge. After that the bridge was partially rebuilt and was meant to be used as a temporary crossing. However, lack of funds for reconstruction forced the authorities to use the bridge in Bratislava as a full transport link for many years. Thus, only in 1985, the Old Bridge was closed for the train traffic. After 23 years, in 2008 the bridge was closed for traffic of private cars. And then, finally, in 2010 the authorities of Bratislava decided to ban all traffic on the bridge.

According to the city administration of Bratislava, today the state of Old Bridge is rated as "extremely critical".

Nevertheless, not all residents of Bratislava are delighted with the decision to close the bridge. To date, the Old Bridge, which is located near the historical center of the Slovak capital, is a convenient and closest way to cross the Danube for thousands of locals and guests.

In addition to the critical state, as the reasons for the reconstruction of the bridge are called also the necessity of raising the structure above the Danube, in order to enable navigation on the river for large ships.

After the closure of the Old Bridge in Bratislava, will remain 4 operating bridges: Lafrankoni Bratislava, the New Bridge, Portovy Bridge and Bridge-pipeline Bratislava.