Lorry Seen on Cycling Bridge Linking Slovakia & Austria, Damage Possible

Bratislava, July 2 (TASR) - The well-known Freedom Cycling-Bridge in the Bratislava borough of Devinska Nova Ves, colloquially known as Chuck Norris Bridge, which links Slovakia and Austria over the Morava River, was closed by the Slovak authorities on Thursday after a heavy lorry with Slovak licence plates was spotted by surveillance cameras attempting to pass it from Austria to Slovakia on Wednesday.

The lorry was unable to pass through barriers on the Slovak side of the cycling bridge, however, so the driver had to reverse to Austria.

“It’s absurd and reprehensible to drive a lorry on a cycling bridge. The driver put in jeopardy himself, the lives of other people and the bridge’s stability,” said Bratislava region governor Juraj Droba. He added that apart from cyclists and pedestrians, the cycling bridge is also used by rescue services, but it certainly hasn’t been designed for heavy lorries.

The Bratislava regional authority now has to examine the stability of the bridge before allowing the public to cross it.

Meanwhile, the police have launched investigation into the crime of endangering public safety out of negligence.

Before the bridge was opened in 2012, the regional authority organised an on-line poll to select its name, with ‘Chuck Norris Bridge’ winning the on-line vote by a landslide.

Nevertheless, the regional parliament in the end opted to call it ‘Freedom Cycling-Bridge’ to honour those who were killed while attempting to cross the Iron Curtain.