Last year, a column fell from its balustrade and this summer cracks in the marble steps forced its partial closure.

Two holes appeared on the central reservation and forced a partial closure of the motorway in both directions, leading to traffic chaos.

Environmental groups were calling for partial closure of the road to prevent over-crowding especially during summer weekends, which often resulted in road accidents.

The state-owned factory contributed substantially to the local economy, until the 1990s, when economic crisis lead to the partial closure of the plant.

The damage sustained by the bridge required its partial closure for repairs.