TIRANA, December 15 – Flows in the Mat river, northwestern Albania, have increased significantly over the last few days as a result of heavy rainfall. This situation has brought about serious problems in the infrastructure in the are causing among others the collapse of one of the concrete piers of the ‘Zog Bridge’ and it sank to a depth of 2 meters. The structure of the bridge is completely damaged, including the arches, and is in total danger of collapsing. The bridge connects the two neighborhoods of Bulqiza and towards Qafa e Buallit.
Zog Bridge is a bridge across the Mat river near the town of Milot in the northwestern part of Albania. It served to improve communications between south-central Albania and the northern part of the country, particularly to the northern town of Shkodra.
Designed by Swiss and German engineers, it is 480 meters in length and constructed in five steel arches carried across the river on concrete piers. It was named after the first King of Albania, King Zog, who ruled from 1928 until the country was invaded by Benito Mussolini in 1939.
It remained the first and only permanent bridge over the Mat for 50 years, when a second bridge was built. A third was built 25 years later.
Heavy floods have created a difficult situation in northern Albania, but there is not full information on what is happening. /Argumentum.al
