In September 2023, Storm Daniel hit Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, causing a tragic toll of thousands of victims and devastation worth millions of dollars to infrastructure. Among the most tormented territories is the Thessaly region, where violent floods took out as many as 79 bridges. One of the highest prices paid was the Palaiopyrgos bridge, a fundamental junction built to connect the banks of the municipality of Tempi and the municipality of Agia. Yielding under the pressure of the water, the infrastructure bent irremediably in the central part, resting just a few centimeters from the surface of the Pineios river.
An open passage without physical barriers
Despite the formal closure to traffic decided by the authorities immediately after the disaster, the Palaiopyrgos bridge was never made safe or blocked with rigid barricades. The lack of roadblocks has turned the entry ban into a simple formality ignored by many. As evidenced by the footage taken with drones by the local newspaper Larissanet Daily Newspapermotorists continue to venture onto the surrendered structure. An emblematic video shows an off-road vehicle advancing at walking pace along the arched span, tackling the sloped path like a real obstacle course until it reaches the opposite bank.
Between residents’ savings and tourist traps
The choice to risk one’s life on an unsafe viaduct responds to precise economic and logistical reasons for the local inhabitants. Avoiding the Palaiopyrgos bridge in fact means taking a very long road diversion, with a drastic increase in travel times and fuel costs.
Complicating the picture is the situation of foreign tourists, who are often directed towards the facility by satellite navigators. Many of them find themselves forced to suddenly brake in front of danger signs, having to choose whether to make a U-turn or venture onto the deformed passage themselves. And many, unfortunately, choose danger regardless of the enormous risks they run.
