We have repeatedly reported in these pages that residents of Trzebień and local government officials intervened over US Army soldiers damaging roads in the village. (The United States consul general in Poland himself became involved in resolving the problem; at his request, a meeting was organized with, among others, officials and military representatives.)
Unfortunately, the problem is still current, despite the bans, the detour, barriers and more frequent police checks.
Małgorzata Zoryło, the village head of Trzebień and a municipal councillor, says that the soldiers drive as they always have. Recently, Hummers carrying excavators drove through Trzebień. What is more, a Kraków company that delivers food and water to the Americans does so in vehicles whose weight, according to the village head, certainly exceeds the permitted limit.
Moreover, some time ago a military vehicle damaged a fence on Parkowa Street. In fact, it destroyed the entire fence. The matter was reported to the Military Police, and the Ministry of National Defence will also be notified.
As the village head points out, after interventions by residents and local government officials, tanks no longer drive here. But what good is that if very heavy trucks continue to appear? The bridge is cracked, and the barriers put up by the County, M. Zoryło emphasizes, have failed to do their job.
Residents emphasize that it remains dangerous in Trzebień. Military vehicles drive along the road that children use on their way to school or kindergarten, while older people use it to go, for example, to the pharmacy. A military truck caught on Ms. Monika’s jacket and tore it. Had the woman not been walking with her child on the other side, the incident could have ended in real tragedy.
Is there any way out of this situation?
We recently reported that the Polish government is to provide money for the construction of the Trzebień bypass (Bolesławiec Municipality) and two new bridges over the Bóbr. The first bridge is to be built near Trzebień, and the second on the border between the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships. This largest investment in the history of our county is expected to take 2.5 years and solve the problem of heavy military equipment damaging infrastructure. The cost of the project is, quite simply, PLN 50 million.
Importantly, both the aforementioned bypass and the bridges will have the status of public roads and, consequently, will be accessible to everyone, not only the military.
Let us hope that no tragedy occurs in Trzebień before then!
We will certainly return to the subject.