Residents of mountainous Dagestan demanded to open traffic on the Red Bridge.

Residents of the mountainous regions of Dagestan demanded the urgent restoration of traffic across the Red Bridge, calling alternative routes a serious blow to everyday life. Shchukin responded to the appeal, instructing to switch the work on the crossing to "emergency mode."

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 8, traffic was temporarily closed on sections of roads in ten districts of Dagestan due to landslides, rockfalls, and rising water levels in rivers after heavy rains. Transportation links with 51 settlements were interrupted after a landslide on the Guniib-Tsurib highway.

A video of residents of the mountainous regions who used the Red Bridge was published by the Telegram channel "Conscience of Dagestan," which has over 13,000 subscribers. By 19:30 Moscow time today, the publication had gained over a thousand views.

In the footage taken at night, construction equipment can be seen blocking the passage through the bridge with concrete barriers. Local residents are present at the site, observing the work.

"Here, they are closing the bridge again. The best person in his field, who knows what is happening here with the bridge, refuted that there is a danger for cars to pass over the bridge, but the ministry decided that the bridge should be closed. So that everyone who made this decision experiences the difficulties you create for the mountain people. So, guys, you can not go," says a local resident in the video.

The bridge is of great importance for the mountainous regions, and its closure causes serious dissatisfaction among the local population, so the issue requires prompt resolution and the swift restoration of the facility, states "Conscience of Dagestan." The channel called on the head and prime minister of the republic to personally monitor the situation and, if necessary, ensure funding for restoration work as soon as possible.

Acting head of Dagestan Fyodor Shchukin today responded to the residents' dissatisfaction on his Telegram channel.

"I see the appeals from residents of the mountainous regions regarding the closure of traffic on the Red Bridge. I fully understand the scale of the problems: disrupted logistics chains, difficulties in delivering food, flight delays, and extra hours on the road. This is a serious blow to the everyday life of thousands of people and the work of local businesses," his message states.

According to him, control confirmed the worst fears: due to the critical rise in water levels in the Avar Koysu, there was a subsidence of the intermediate support and deformation of the span structure, which poses a real threat of collapse.

"However, safety should not become a cover for bureaucratic sluggishness. I instructed the Ministry of Transport of Dagestan and Dagestanavtodor to switch the work to emergency mode. Technical solutions must be made immediately, and restoration work must begin without the usual delays," he wrote.

He promised to personally monitor the timing of the opening of traffic and the quality of the repairs carried out. "The bridge must be restored not just 'for show,' but with a view to decades of reliable operation," Shchukin concluded.

The Ministry of Transport of Dagestan reported on July 23 that on the regional road Border of the Chechen Republic - Botlikh - Khunzakh - Arakanskaya site, on the section "Red Bridge", on July 9, the span structure of the bridge was deformed. "Traffic on the bridge is temporarily closed. Emergency restoration work will begin after the water level in the river drops and the intermediate support is inspected," the ministry's message states.