The bridge, built in 1939 at kilometer 2 of the Tukums-Kandava road, has become a historical testimony of its time, although it does not cross a river, ditch, or canal. It was built with the wider development of the area in mind. Historians say that the bridge was built on an artificial embankment to form the Tukums-Kuldīga railway line, which was planned at the time, and that a railway line was planned under the bridge. However, the outbreak of World War II put an end to this plan - the railway was never built.
"From a historical point of view, we historians want to preserve the old. The bridge is already in a complex with the whole line, which was planned, worked on, and invested a lot of money. If it had not been for the two occupations, it would certainly have been finished," said Inta Dišlere, a cultural history expert from the Tukums municipality.
Now, the Tukums-Abavnieki section of the road is due for reconstruction and the bridge is holding it back. According to road engineers, the pre-war bridge is unsuitable for traffic and needs to be demolished.
"The bridge has served its time, it is technically unsuitable, it does not have sufficient load-bearing capacity. To rebuild it, we need about 400 thousand euros, which the state does not have," said Anna Kononova, LVC representative.
The municipality of Tukums acknowledged that it is important to preserve historical values, but the restoration of roads is no less important.
It was because of the poor roads that the municipality was forced to take an unpopular decision in the spring - to close a branch of the Pūre primary school in Jaunsāti from September.
"Our decision to close the school is partly linked to this road, because if this road had been improved in 2009, 2010 or 2011, even with double surface or asphalt, I assume that we would not have come to this decision to close the school, [..]" said Gundars Važa, Chairman of the Tukums Municipal Council (Association of Latvian Regions)
LVC is currently planning the dismantling of the bridge, which will cost approximately EUR 40,000. Work will start this year and be completed next year.
