H. Králové will repair the historic Bailey Bridge over the Orlice River

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové will repair the historic iron Bailey Bridge over the Orlice River in the Slezské Předměstí district. Construction workers will begin the repairs, costing nearly 18 million crowns excluding tax, in September, with everything expected to be completed by March 2023. The workers will dismantle the bridge structure and perform the general overhaul, including anti-corrosion treatment, in workshops.

"The bridge deck and the support bearing thresholds will also be cleaned of deposits. Missing or corroded elements of the load-bearing structure will be re-welded," said today the Deputy Mayor for Property, Pavel Marek (for ANO).

The British military folding bridge, Bailey Bridge, was manufactured in 1944. It is 66 meters long. In Hradec Králové, it was built over the Orlice River in 1947 with the assistance of the then-international relief organization UNRRA. It connects the Hradec districts of Slezské Předměstí and Malšovice. The residents of Hradec also refer to the bridge as Železňák or Klapák, due to the noise it made when cars used to drive over it. Today, it serves pedestrians and cyclists.

During the repairs of the bridge, cyclists and pedestrians will be able to use a detour route that will go over the Orlický Bridge on the Gočár Ring Road.

Since May, the city has also been repairing the monument-protected Moravian Bridge over the Orlice River near the city center. The construction, costing 22 million crowns, is expected to be completed by mid-October. The Moravian Bridge, which is 54 meters long, dates back to 1914, and since 1917 it has included a hydroelectric power station. During the general reconstruction, which expanded it by nearly three meters, it underwent significant repairs from 1993 to 1994.