Turkmen authorities decided to dismantle the 122-year-old Chardzhui railway bridge across the Amu Darya River in order to solve of problems with metal imports, Radio Azatlyk reports citing its sources.
This decision regarding the longest bridge in Central Asia, which has a length of more than one kilometer, was taken against the backdrop of problems with metal imports.
The Chardzhui railway bridge over the Amu Darya was built in 1898-1901 after the current territories of Turkmenistan were annexed to the Russian Empire. More than 3,000 people took part in the construction of the iron bridge. When the bridge was built, it was considered the longest in Russia and the third longest in the world.
According to a Radio Azatlyk source, the decision to dismantle the historic bridge was made earlier this year "at the level of the Deputy Prime Minister." The bridge has not been in operation since 2014, the report said.
The reason for the dismantling of the historic bridge is simple - there is an acute shortage of metal in the construction market of Turkmenistan. Due to the difficult situation with the import of iron products, in recent years, local enterprises have been processing secondary metal mined from the dismantling of old facilities. And now the turn for remelting has reached the 1200-meter bridge. It is likely that soon tens of thousands of tons of recycled metal from the once majestic transport facility will be sold in local markets.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
April 11, 2023