There's a million-dollar gap in the Czech Republic's railroad budget thanks to the theft of a 10-ton bridge near the eastern town of Slavkov.
The bridge burglary is being credited to a "train gang" who reportedly arrived at Slavkov depot with forged paperwork claiming that the footbridge over the disused railway track had to come down, the Telegraph reported.
Railway spokesman Pavel Halla told the paper that the thieves said they had been hired to demolish the bridge, and remove the unwanted railway track to make way for a new cycle route.
"It was only after they had gone that checks were made and we realized we'd been had," Halla said. "The cost of replacing the bridge will run into millions."
The thieves then dismantled the bridge and 650 feet of track, according to Newser, and presumably are selling it for scrap metal, which is a problem in the region.
Obviously, law enforcement officials in the Czech Republic are keeping their eyes out for any suspicious-looking bridges.
Meanwhile, the opposite kind of problem exists in Colorado, where the state's Department of Transportation is looking for someone willing to take a 150-foot bridge off their hands, NBC Chicago reported.
It seems the existing structure, built in 1935, needs replacement because it is functionally and structurally obsolete, according to the DOT's website.
So the department is offering the 150-foot-long, 33-foot-wide, 13-foot-high metal truss bridge to the first person or group willing to pay for the disassembly, relocation, and re-assembly of the bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Denver Post.
The agency's historian, Lisa Schoch, told the paper that the bridge "may be a good candidate for re-use as a pedestrian or recreational trail bridge."
Thieves Make Off With 10-Ton Bridge
Two charged in attempted Gilmerton Bridge construction site theft
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The Huffington Post | By David Moye Posted: 04/30/2012 6:38 pm