Trabzon's 40-year-old bridge sheds concrete, reinforcement bars exposed

Located in the Çağlayan Mahallesi of Trabzon's Ortahisar ilçesi, a bridge built approximately 40 years ago has become a serious safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians. The concrete layer on the bridge, which is known to have been built in 1985, has crumbled over time, exposing the reinforcement bars underneath. Furthermore, this structure is located on a route frequently used by heavy-tonnage vehicles. It has been reported by citizens numerous times that the bridge shakes noticeably when vehicles pass over it. Local residents are urgently demanding that authorities inspect the situation and prevent a potential disaster.

One of the biggest dangers of the bridge in question is the absence of a pedestrian walkway. Due to this deficiency, pedestrians are forced to share the same road with vehicles, endangering their lives. This route, which is particularly narrow to the extent that two trucks cannot pass side by side, turns into a massive bottleneck during peak traffic hours. Positioned as one of the busiest bridges on the transportation network between Trabzon and Maçka, the structure hosts an average of 500 vehicle crossings daily. The use of this bridge by heavy vehicles and trucks bypassing weigh stations is cited among the factors that further accelerate structural deterioration.

Local residents state that the current situation has become even more alarming as it brings back past memories. The flood disaster that occurred in the region in 1990, which caused the river to overflow, has left serious question marks in minds regarding the bridge's durability. The neighborhood residents emphasize that there is a possibility of the bridge collapsing in the event of a potential disaster or excessive load, and that this situation has become a nightmare for all pedestrians, including school children. Citizens, asking authorities to urgently renew or reinforce the bridge, warn against the risk of a catastrophe happening at any moment. This situation, where even crossing the bridge as a pedestrian induces great fear, negatively affects the daily life of the region.

Osman Bedir, a local resident who made statements regarding the issue, stated that they applied to official institutions to resolve the situation but no concrete steps were taken. While describing the process, Bedir stated that he filed a complaint through the Cumhurbaşkanlığı İletişim Merkezi (CİMER) but was directed to the Devlet Su İşleri (DSİ). The DSİ rejected responsibility in the process, stating that the issue was not within its purview. The Büyükşehir Belediyesi exhibited a similar attitude, claiming that the bridge was not within its area of responsibility. This confusion of authority and responsibility among institutions has raised the question of whether helpless citizens are expected to produce a solution with their own means.

Another neighborhood resident, Yakup Ergenç, also drew attention to the risk of the bridge collapsing, stating that authorities must take immediate action. Ergenç shared the fear they experience while using the bridge as pedestrians and the anxiety caused by children having to use this route. The exposure of the iron bars on the bridge, worn down by time and heavy loads, is shown as the clearest evidence that the structure has reached the end of its service life. The tremors experienced during vehicle crossings and the narrow structure of the bridge make transportation in the area increasingly risky day by day. For all these reasons, the local community expects the competent authorities to fulfill their duties immediately to reconstruct or comprehensively repair the bridge.