Overland travel to large Evia island from mainland Greece was severely impacted for roughly a day by the malfunctioning of one of two bridges that connect Greece’s second biggest island, which straddles the country’s eastern-central seaboard.
The drawbridge or slide bridge, called the “Old Evripos (Euripus) Bridge”, suffered a malfunction upon opening on Sunday, August 3, effectively cutting the island’s capital and largest, Halkida, in two, according to local press. A portion of Halkida (Chalkida, Chalcis) lies on the mainland.
The drawbridge was later partially repaired by Monday afternoon, allowing vehicles to pass over the roughly 42-meter strait, but unable to be lifted to allow for marine traffic.-,et
The bridge was stuck in the open position due to a problem with the electro-hydraulic mechanism on the Evia side of the bridge. It was later manually drawn.
An aerial view of the modern bridge over the Evripos Strait.
The bridge is located at the narrowest point between Evia (Euboea).
Authorities informed travelers to be prepared for delays and traffic via the main bridge to Evia, called “New Evripos Bridge”. At the same time, several regular ferry routes connecting ports on the western side of north, central and southern parts of Evia with the mainland operate normally.
Evia has a permanent population of around 198,000 persons and is a popular destination for local holiday-makers.
