FRANCE: Audit warns 840 bridges may be at risk of collapse

About 840 bridges across France are suffering from serious damage and are at risk of collapse in the coming years, according to an audit commissioned by the French government. President Emmanuel Macron’s government had already promised new infrastructure spending but is coming under new pressure after a bridge collapse in neighbouring Italy on Tuesday killed […]

About 840 bridges across France are suffering from serious damage and are at risk of collapse in the coming years, according to an audit commissioned by the French government.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government had already promised new infrastructure spending but is coming under new pressure after a bridge collapse in neighbouring Italy on Tuesday killed 43 people.

The audit, published on Sunday by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, said a third of the 12,000 government-maintained bridges in France need repairs.

About seven percent, or about 840 bridges, present a “risk of collapse” in the coming years if spending is kept at current levels, the audit said.