Restoration of Avaregan Bridge Near Completion

The restoration project for Avaregan Bridge over Zayanderoud river in Isfahan Province, is near completion, said an official at the provincial office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

Restoration work on the old bridge started at the beginning of the current fiscal year (March 21) , Mehr News Agency reported.

According to Fereydoun Allahyari, the deputy head of Isfahan's ICHHTO office, the edges of the bridge and entry arches have been fully restored.

"Restorative operations were last conducted on the bridge in 1960, more than 50 years ago," he said.

Dating back to 1929, Avaregan Bridge is the oldest among 11 bridges across Zayanderud River. It is located in Chadegan County near the source of the river.

The bridge was registered on the National Heritage List in January 2017.

Used as a pedestrian bridge, the bridge showed cracks after its inscription.

The spreading damage impelled the officials to conduct rescue operations to save the structure from collapse. A budget of 1.5 billion rials ($3.9 m) was allotted for its renovation.

According to the official, plans are underway to build another bridge in the vicinity of Avaregan, so as to reduce the number of people using the old bridge to cross the river.