40 pedestrian bridges on the open network of the Metro of Athens will be put under the “microscope” in order to identify possible signs of deterioration or wear and tear and to make the necessary interventions.

To this end, STASY is proceeding with the announcement of a tender, which will include inspections and autopsies on the 40 bridges that have been built over the electric lines, as well as on the metal bridge over Dukissis Plakentias Street, at the station of line 3 “Halandri”, which is the only one in the list that has been built after 2004.

This is a quite important project since it mainly concerns Metro Line 1, as there are infrastructures that are more than 60 years old. It should be remembered that the last general renovation on Line 1 was carried out about 20 years ago on the occasion of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Line 1, which connects the port with Kifisia, is 25.7 kilometres long, with 24 stations, most of it is above ground and only the 3.2 kilometres long Monastiraki-Attica section in the centre of Athens is in an underground tunnel. As a result, several footbridges have been built during the years of operation to connect the residential areas through which it passes. Some dates back to before 1960, while others were built relatively recently, such as the footbridge near the Neratziotissa station, which was added in 2004.

The last overhaul on Line 1 was carried out in 2007, as part of the project “Repair of bridges throughout the entire network of the HSP SA”. Therefore, it is considered necessary to inspect pedestrian bridges to evaluate their condition and record the wear and defects of each structural member.

Also, on Line 3 of the Metro, which connects the Municipal Theatre with the Airport, a metal pedestrian bridge has been constructed in Halandri, which extends above Doukissis Plakentias Street. In this particular one, no inspection has been carried out, so it will be checked.

Kottaras: Large-scale project – Similar inspection work will follow for the railway bridges

“This project involves the thorough inspection of all the pedestrian bridges of the Metro network in total, with the majority of them, of course, being on Line 1, the largest part of which is on the ground. This general inspection will identify and record the technical needs of each bridge individually. This is a large-scale project, that goes beyond the regular, preventive inspections and maintenance carried out by the technical crews of STASY and will give us an accurate picture, and an x-ray of all 40 pedestrian bridges on our network. So we will have a useful tool in our hands, to intervene in a targeted and preventive manner, where necessary, “stresses in a statement to APPE-MPE, Athanasios Kottaras, CEO of STASY.

Athan Athanasios Dattas, a member of the board of directors of the company, said in an interview with Athens-based Athens-based Athens-based Athens Transport Authority.
He announces that next year, within 2025, a similar project will follow, thorough inspection of railway bridges, as well as the metal roofs of stations and depots.

According to the tender notice, the scope of the project includes the inspection of bridges, lifts, and others, such as parapets, joints, lighting, electromechanical, etc. The contractor will perform ground scanning with laser and 3D printing, visual inspection,s, and non-destructive testing to develop a Pedestrian Bridge Register, which will be the responsibility of STASY, thus obtaining a detailed register in which the location of the bridge, the year of construction, its technical data, any repairs, etc. will be known. The pedestrian bridges of the STASY are made of reinforced concrete or steel or are composite or stone-built. After evaluating the findings of the inspections, the inspector will assign each footbridge a score according to the severity of the damage or deterioration found and recommend appropriate action. These may be preventative, corrective, or even emergency interventions to remove the hazard.

The contract amount including VAT is €184,636 and the duration of the contract is 12 months from the signing of the contract.