September 30, 2020 – A few days ago, a viral video showed how easily one visitor unscrewed part of the Biokovo skywalk, which stands 1228 meters above sea level. Now, after an inspection, IGH claims Biokovo Skywalk is safe.
“All the screws on the Skywalk were inspected, and it was determined that all were tightened in a prescribed manner except the screw shown. In this particular case, it is a single screw on the handrail on which the handrail’s adherence does not depend, and in particular, the load-bearing structure does not depend. Also, there is a safety fence under the handle itself, so safety has not been disputed at any time. The screw shown is not part of the load-bearing structure,” said Igor Stefanac, head of marketing, public relations, state and public bodies of the IGH Institute, who supervised the entire construction of Biokovo Skywalk by the detailed design.
According to Stefanac, the confirmation that the project and budgets did everything was given by the competent Office for Construction during the structure’s technical inspection. Slobodna Dalmacija called Stefanac but the Skywalk has already become headline news. Namely, last week on the Facebook page Dnevna doza makarskog nereda, a video was released that spread to the public at the speed of light. It showed that part of the promenade’s construction, which took a year to build and opened on July 1, without any problem, can be easily unscrewed, which caused quite a shock among viewers.
How is it possible that no special protective screws were placed on the Skywalk construction? And how is it possible that the 8 million kuna lookout in the Biokovo area of Ravna Vlaška received a use permit? Stefanac said that it is important to note that all aspects have been checked before opening and the Skywalk is completely safe for visitors.
“For example, the capacity of a single element of laminated glass, measuring approximately 4 square meters per 2,000 kilograms, was tested in the plant. A test load test was also performed, which was performed at the end of the works and amounted to 300 kilograms per square meter of the entire structure,” said Stefanac.
How could the Skywalk get a use permit if the screw could be unscrewed so easily? The director of the Biokovo Nature Park, Slava Jaksa, says that the lookout has passed all the necessary safety and durability tests before it is open for visitors.
A project worth millions
“After the video went public, the contractor was notified, as well as expert supervision, and all screws on the handle were found to be in good condition. The lookout remains open for visitors until the end of the visitor season. We emphasize that more than 100,000 visitors have visited the Skywalk since the opening,” says Jaksa. He added that the Skywalk is part of the project “New Adrion – promoting sustainable use of the natural heritage of Biokovo Nature Park” funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the operational program.
This project’s total value is 34 million kuna, of which about 27 million kuna is a grant from EU funds. Simultaneously, the rest is financed by the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency and its own users and partners’ funds – MARA and HGSS.
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