GENEVA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Though the road network in Switzerland is generally good, about 40 Swiss bridges, or one percent of total, are in critical condition and need renovation, the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) said Sunday.
FEDRO confirmed a recent report on the state of roads, saying that the state of the Swiss road network is generally good, and renovation of critical infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels has been well managed in recent years.
"If a structure proves to be in poor condition, for example if the support elements of a bridge are damaged, we would immediately close the bridge and start work," FEDRO director Jurg Rothlisberger said.
However, about 16 percent of the structures have not yet been checked, but FEDRO said they do not play an essential role in terms of security. So even if a problem were identified, it would not have serious consequences.
As the vast majority of Swiss motorway bridges were built in the 1960s and 1970s, their renovation will thus become more and more frequent, but FEDRO said thanks to the fund for road infrastructure, Switzerland is in a good position.
However, according to Sunday's local NZZ am Sonntag paper, more than half of Switzerland's 45,000 highway bridges are over 35 years old, and maintenance costs could double or even quadruple in the next 30 years.
Last Tuesday, Swiss President Alain Berset sent his condolences after a bridge collapsed in the Italian city of Genoa, in which 43 people died.
A spokesman for the Swiss Federal Roads Office said such a collapse could not happen in Switzerland.
He said visual inspections are carried out regularly and safety teams are obliged to report any damage immediately, adding that each of Switzerland's 1,500 bridges, along with 3,600 over- and underpasses, are thoroughly examined every five years.
