Fears grow that Budapest's Margaret Bridge is near collapse

There are growing concerns that Budapest's Margit híd (Margaret Bridge), which connects the southern tip of Margaret Island to Buda and Pest, could collapse before long-overdue renovation work can begin, writes Magyar Hírlap.

A comprehensive reconstruction of the bridge is currently awaiting completion of the "Duna" Bridge to the north of the city, part of the vast M0 ring-road project that will one day encircle the capital. It is feared that if the Margit híd were closed for renovations before the new bridge opens, traffic across the Danube in Budapest would come to a halt, especially given the recent shutting of the Szabadság híd (Freedom Bridge) to car traffic for its own round of long-delayed repairs.

As the M0 bridge would not be completed until 2008, and the renovations to the Margit híd would take one and a half years, the work is not likely to be completed before 2010.

The rebuilding of the Margit híd has been repeatedly postponed since 1995, despite the growing concerns of structural engineers, while small-scale fixes have been put off in the belief that a general overall was forthcoming.

The bridge was last renovated in 1978.

Budapest Mayor Gábor Demszky (SZDSZ) had urged the renovations to start as early as August 2004, when part of the bridge's road collapsed. János Schulek, CEO of engineering company Főmterv, said that the bridge had to be shored up immediately to prevent it from collapsing under the stress of the thousands of vehicles crossing it daily. A static test showed that more than twenty structural sections needed replacement due to damage from water and ice. Another twenty cassettes have since been strengthened with steel arcs attached to the main support elements.

Meanwhile, the exact cost of the overhaul will only become clear once the plans are completed and the construction permits are obtained. The Margit Híd Konzorcium lead by Főmterv has until December 10 to complete its plans and acquire the relevant permits. In June 2005, Budapest Assistant Mayor Pál Vajda (MSZP) estimated the cost of the renovations at Ft 5.5 billion.

City councilman Gábor Dancs, chairman of the assembly's transportation committee, said he believes the work on the bridge could start in 2009 or 2010. But what happens before then remains uncertain. "Humans plan and God decides," Dancs said. "We will see how it works out."

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