A ban on the movement of all types of vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons on the High Bridge of Serbia has been in effect since Saturday night, following the problem found in two of its four tendons, between the sixth and seventh piers. As indicated in a statement by the General Police Directorate of Western Macedonia, the decision to ban traffic was taken by the head of the Kozani Police Directorate.

“The damage concerns serious cracks that were found during the -extensive and detailed with special equipment- technical inspection carried out in the fall of last year, by the engineer of Egnatia Odou SA, Panagiotis Panetsos with the professor of the Polytechnic School of AUTH, Konstantinos Katakalos (…) According to Mr. Katakalos, the damages, which are impressive for their intensity, were caused many years ago due to strong pressures, which were exerted on these points and exceeded 350 tons locally” it was stated in a related announcement of Region of Western Macedonia on March 9, on the occasion of the inspection carried out by the regional governor, Georgios Kasapidis, in the reinforcement works of the specific part of the bridge, together with the professor of the AUTH, Konstantinos Katakalos.

The announcement stated that the strengthening works will last throughout March and will be completed in April, when the bridge is expected to be open to traffic (s.s. based on newer information, however, which has not yet been officially confirmed, not they cannot be extended). Based on the same announcement, the last inspection of the bridge was done in 1995, after the May earthquake of that year, while “after the repair work of the serious cracks, a major overall maintenance of the High Bridge of Serbia will follow.”

It is recalled that the High Bridge of Serbia, opened in 1975, is one of the longest bridges in Greece, almost 1.4 kilometers long. The bridge is part of the Kozani – Larissa National Road and is located 15 kilometers southeast of Kozani and 7 kilometers northwest of Serbia.

Traffic regulations

According to tonight’s announcement by the General Police Directorate of Western Macedonia:

  1. The traffic of vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons and a maximum height of 4 meters, which have either departed from areas of the Kozani Regional Unit or are destined for them, will be conducted as follows: from the 30th km of the Kozani National Road – Larissa (Avlon intersection) to Avles- Goules- Rymniou- Rymniou Bridge- under designation road network- Kaisaria (ring road)- Provincial Road of Ano Komi-Caesaria. Then, re-entering the marked road network to the intersection with the Municipal Road of Kozani-Karyditsa- left to Karyditsa-right to the Municipal Road of Karyditsa-Lefkovrysi- Provincial Road of Kozani-Aiani- Roundabout at the entrance of the city of Kozani- Vatero- Union Road or Egnatia Street and vice versa.
  2. The traffic of vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons in the direction from Larissa to Kozani and vice versa, will be carried out via Egnatia Road, either towards Grevena or towards Veria.
  3. On the High Bridge of Serbia, the traffic width is limited to four meters and the maximum permitted speed limit is set at 40 km/h.
  4. The traffic of other vehicles on the Kozani-Larissa National Highway is carried out normally, “regulated by the existing traffic lights for the alternative one-way road” from X/Θ 18+900 to X/Θ 20+300 (High Bridge of Servia) ».