Economic and social aspects of long-term operation of the longest road bridge in Poland - of temporary structure

Abstract

The paper describes the history of the road bridge over the Vistula river in Wyszogrod between the years 1916 and 1999. Originally built in 1916 the bridge was destroyed two times during the Second World War, then reconstructed and adopted several times before and after the war, as well as rehabilitated after collapses caused by ice drifts and fire. There were seven types of the analysed temporary bridge, including two floating ones and five superstructures supported on wooden piers, which are mentioned in the paper. Keeping the bridge in operation was costly and hence opinions that it was maintained generally for social and military reasons. An ex post cost-benefit analysis was carried out for the reconstruction of the temporary bridge after the collapse in 1993 and it showed that keeping in place the temporary bridge was a cost-efficient option even when compared to the new construction in 1999.