The state announced an architectural competition for the design of the modification of the bridge from Stromovka

Prague - The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic (ŘVC ČR) has announced an open architectural competition for the design of a comprehensive modification of the bridge on Za Elektrárnou street over the Troja-Podbaba navigation canal in Prague 7. The bridge is to have a clearance height for vessels of seven meters above the highest navigable water level. In recent years, a series of ten bridges on the Vltava River from Mělník was modified in this way, including the movable bridge over the lock in Hořín. The Directorate stated this in a press release today.

The architectural competition is organized by the ŘVC ČR in collaboration with the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague and the city's leadership. The aim is to ensure sufficient clearance heights of bridges on the Vltava waterway in the section from Mělník to Prague-Holešovice. A clearance height of seven meters will allow the passage of large passenger vessels and the transport of oversized cargo. The current bridge, which leads from Stromovka to Císařský island, has a clearance height of 5.4 meters.

"I believe that through the open architectural competition, we open the field for finding a truly innovative and broadly recognized comprehensive solution to this point, where a whole range of transportation and recreational functions intersect, and it is challenging to find a suitable compromise that is optimal for all," said the director of ŘVC ČR, Lubomír Fojtů, adding that the bridging could be realized around the years 2027 and 2028. The project preparation, including the architectural competition, is financed from the resources of the State Transport Infrastructure Fund (SFDI).

In addition to the technical parameters, the ŘVC ČR will assess the architectural character of the bridging and its integration into the surrounding landscape during the competition. The bridging is part of an important recreational connection in the northern part of Prague, used annually by hundreds of thousands of pedestrians and cyclists, according to the ŘVC ČR. The Directorate expects an increase in interest in recreational use of the bridge, which is the main connecting element of the Troja basin across the river.

In December 2022, the modernization of two bridge structures near the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (ÚČOV) on the Troja-Podbaba navigation canal was completed. Subsequently, downstream on the Vraňany-Hořín navigation canal near Mělník, seven bridges were put into operation in 2021, including three lift bridges, and the Hořín lock was also adapted with a lift bridge.