The tragedy on the Slovak highway has turned attention to construction supervision

Bratislava - The investigation into the tragedy on the under-construction highway in eastern Slovakia is likely to focus on the possible involvement of the state in one of the largest tragedies of its kind in the country in recent years. Experts and politicians have pointed out the important role of the construction supervision carried out on the section of the highway by the state-owned National Highway Company (NDS).
The collapse of the support structure during the concreting of the highway bridge resulted in four human lives lost, and more than a dozen workers were injured. The Ministry of Transport stated that the responsibility for the tragedy lies with the construction companies, particularly the Czech firm Bögl & Krýsl.
"All documentation of the contractor must be approved by the construction supervision paid for by the investor. Especially for bridges, they had to check and accept all previous work before starting the concreting of the load-bearing structure, including the support structure. They should have been present during the concreting of the load-bearing structure as one of the key operations," pointed out in a comment to the Hospodárske noviny newspaper Dušan Šamudovský, former head of Slovakia's largest construction company Doprastav. He added that the cause of the accident was an inadequate design of the support structure or its poor execution on the construction site.
Former Minister of Transport Ján Figeľ also emphasized the significance of construction supervision, during whose tenure as minister the mentioned contract was awarded to Bögl & Krýsl and the Slovak company Váhostav. "The level of oversight is indeed linked to the level of safety. The supervision, together with the investor, approves subcontractor relationships," said Figeľ to Slovak Radio.
The Ministry of Transport denied any wrongdoing by the NDS and blames only the builders for the accident. The office had previously stated that the construction supervision was properly overseeing the construction and that they allegedly left shortly before the tragedy. The NDS itself, which operates highways and expressways, declined to comment on the case. According to the ministry, the investigation will also check whether the low price of the contract led to unauthorized cost-cutting and subsequently to the tragedy.
The construction of the bridge, where the tragedy occurred, was managed by the company Bögl & Krýsl, which is one of five participants in the legal proceedings related to the collapse of a bridge in Studénka in 2008. The Czech company hired a Prešov-based firm for the work on the Slovak highway, whose subcontractor built the support structure. According to the Ministry of Transport and experts, the consortium that acquired the contract is liable for the subcontractor. "The consortium is jointly and severally liable to the investor, regardless of which of the companies actually constructs the specific object," noted Šamudovský. He added that carrying out work through subcontractors is a common practice, and this system is part of the bid of the applicant in the tender, or any changes are approved by the construction supervision and the project investor.