The main bridge connecting Zgorzelec and Görlitz has been urgently closed. The reason is ongoing maintenance and repair work intended to ensure the safety of users. Detours and changes in public transport are already causing significant difficulties for residents of the border region.
Detours and Changes for Bus Passengers
The most important connection between Zgorzelec and Görlitz has been taken out of service. Local authorities announced that the purpose of the work is to maintain the load-bearing structures and protect them from corrosion. The repairs are being carried out in an accelerated mode, with the possibility of completing the work earlier than the planned date of November 14, if conditions allow.
Drivers and pedestrians must use alternative border crossings at Jędrzychowice–Ludwigsdorf or Radomierzyce–Hagenwerder. The route of bus line A has also been modified. On the German side, the line now terminates at the Hochschule Stadthalle stop in Görlitz. The timetable itself remains unchanged.
The John Paul II Bridge is a daily route for thousands of people who work or study on both sides of the Lusatian Neisse River. Around 10,000 people use it every day, and as many as 30 percent of Zgorzelec residents work on the German side. In Saxony alone, between 18,000 and 20,000 Poles are employed.
This illustrates the scale of the consequences of the temporary closure and the close ties that connect residents of the Polish-German border region.