Prague will begin the selection of the winning design for the Dvorecký Bridge construction

Prague - The Prague City Hall has received several dozen architectural proposals for the planned Dvorecký Bridge between Prague 4 and 5. The city will begin selecting the final design on Friday. Ondřej Boháč, director of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), told ČTK today.

Out of dozens of proposals, approximately five to seven will advance to the second phase of selection. It is unclear when the winning design of the bridge will be known or when construction might begin. There are several dozen bridges and footbridges across the Vltava River in Prague.

The architectural-construction competition will have two phases. The committee will evaluate both the appearance of the bridges and assess the proposals from an economic perspective, considering whether each bridge can be built and if it is financially viable for the city. Members of the evaluation committee include Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) and the mayors of the affected municipal districts, as well as experts and engineers.

The plan to build a new bridge was conceived several years ago. It is intended to connect the banks of the Vltava River approximately between the mouth of Jeremenková Street in Prague 4 and the distillery in Smíchov. It should accommodate pedestrians and trams, and also allow emergency responders and potentially public transport buses to cross. The costs of construction, as well as when it will begin, are not clear.

The last bridge in Prague over the Vltava River, the Troja Bridge, was opened in October 2014. It was created as part of the Blanka Tunnel complex and replaced the Troja tram bridge from 1981, nicknamed "the noisy one," whose operation was ceremonially concluded on October 7, 2013, with a ride of a museum tram. Last December, a footbridge collapsed between Císařský Island and Troja. Several other bridges in Prague are in poor condition, and the city is preparing their repairs.