Chrastava has three unique lifting bridges and is preparing a fourth one

Chrastava (Liberec Region) - Today, another flood-resistant unique solution has been put into operation in Chrastava in the Liberec Region - three lifting footbridges across the Jeřice River. The footbridges made of iron and wood replaced small bridges that were swept away by floods last August. They won't be the last, as the town plans to construct one more. This was stated today by Chrastava's mayor Michael Canov during the handover of the footbridges. However, the footbridges are not the only flood-resistant solution in the city; a unique cable car designed by architect Martin Rajniš has been serving residents for a year, which was also built in place of a destroyed footbridge.
    "For the three new footbridges, we were looking for a solution that could withstand a flood similar to the one we had last year, and the designer recommended that we look for the type of footbridges that could be raised," Canov said. According to him, the footbridges chosen by the town should withstand extreme water levels. "According to our information, this is a unique solution in the Czech Republic," added the mayor. The raising of the bridges has two advantages according to him - first, the water won't wash them away, and additionally, the footbridges won't act as a barrier in the riverbed, where debris can accumulate and create a dam.
    The town hall paid six million crowns for the footbridges. Most costs were covered by the municipality from a grant for flood recovery, while the rest came from a public collection. The footbridges are securely anchored on the banks with two columns each, allowing them to move up and down. However, lifting them is not an easy task.
    "They don’t raise in two minutes; it takes four firefighters an hour, while lowering is significantly quicker - about 20 minutes," Canov explained. On each side of the bridge, two firefighters must turn a crank so that the bridge rises two millimeters with each turn. The town hall is considering equipping firefighters with motors in the future to raise the bridge faster. "But those are additional costs," Canov admitted.
    Chrastava is one of the towns in the Liberec Region most affected by last year's floods. The record-breaking flood caused damage worth 180 million crowns to municipal property alone. The water swept away four bridges and seven footbridges, destroyed several houses, and others had to be demolished later. Even today, the streets in the town are torn up, and a temporary bridge crosses the Jeřice. "Construction is ongoing in the town, totaling around 40 projects, most of which will be completed before winter," Canov said. Projects costing more than 100 million crowns are largely funded by grants from the Ministry of Regional Development. The town hall will cover the ten percent co-financing from the flood collection.