Additional protection to prevent suicides will be provided on the city side, above the skateboard track.
All of the work carried out at this location by the Bridges and roads authority has been approved by the capital's town hall, the Sites and Monuments Service, and Unesco, according to statements made by Minister for Public Works François Bausch on RTL on Sunday.
Even if the Passerelle bridge itself has not been specifically selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this international protection applies to the entire site.
The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for 25 years. The Sites and Monuments Service is also present to observe this two-metre widening of the Viaduct bridge.
So far, everything has gone well, according to heritage specialists, who had hesitated at the start of the work on the bridge. While the Passerelle bridge is also a precious structure, it can absolutely be adapted in a gentle manner to current needs.
Once a work has been selected by UNESCO, it can no longer be modified at will, especially if the modifications would alter any part of its heritage.
The railing can and should of course be reinforced. This is no problem at all, as long as the fittings comply with Unesco rules. This applies to both temporary and permanent installations.
The "Al Bréck" ("Old Bridge") is undoubtedly an element of heritage, says Robert Philippart, who submitted his assessment to Unesco in Paris.
"Unesco is not a label, Unesco is a protection"". When a site belongs to the World Heritage, the opinion of Unesco must be respected, according to Philippart, an "Unesco site manager" for the World Heritage site of Luxembourg City and associate expert of the Unesco Commission.
Presentation of the Passerelle bridge widening project on the website of public works [FR]
