The footbridge in Ostrava by Jiřičná was too expensive for the developer

Ostrava - The footbridge in Ostrava that leads from the bus station to the Střed train station will be demolished in March. A new bridge will be constructed in its place by September, which will connect both stations with the emerging New Karolina district. This was stated at today's press conference by the Mayor of Ostrava, Petr Kajnar (ČSSD), and the director of the Czech branch of Multi Development, which is building New Karolina, Luboš Kočí.
    The construction will ultimately not follow the original design by internationally renowned architect Eva Jiřičná. According to Kočí, it would be too expensive. "We had a set price from 60 to 80 million crowns. However, the bids from construction companies were all around 200 million, which was a bit of a shock for us," said Kočí. Multi Development therefore agreed with the architect to modify the project. However, Jiřičná will not be signed on the final result. Kočí stated that they are now deciding between two companies that will build the new footbridge. Its final cost will be 68 million crowns.
    According to the original design, the footbridge's steel structure was to consist of symmetrical double arches that would cross at the ends of the bridge and converge at one point in the middle. To pedestrians, they would resemble linked hearts. Kočí mentioned that the arches will lead down to the ground in the final design. The footbridge will also be lower.
    Kočí previously stated that Multi Development wants the footbridge to be a work of art and one of the landmarks of New Karolina. Today he said that the difference of 100 million crowns, by which the implementation of the original project would have been more expensive compared to the plans, was too high. "Even the city's budget did not find an additional 100 million crowns," added Mayor Kajnar.
    The new footbridge is part of the first phase of the New Karolina construction. By March 2012, a shopping and entertainment center, a residential building, an office building, and the historical buildings of Dvojhalí should also be completed. At the end of last year, Multi Development transferred them to the city.
    According to Kočí, it's not that the company wants to get rid of Dvojhalí so it doesn't have to renovate it. "The city agreed with Multi Development because it's more advantageous for them. They will decide what will be in Dvojhalí," said Mayor Kajnar. According to him, the buildings will have enormous commercial value in a few years. "From Multi Development's side, it was a generous step," Kajnar said.
    Kočí stated that the apartments and shopping center will be completed as planned in March next year. However, there is a problem with the administrative building. "We spent half a year negotiating with a single interested party. Those talks did not go well. Without a tenant, it's not possible to start such construction. We are desperately trying to find a new one," said Kočí. However, it will not be easy on the current market, according to him.
    Mayor Kajnar added that the city wants to achieve the connection of the new district with the heritage-protected Lower Vítkovice area and Ruská Street before the completion of the first phase of the New Karolina construction. People could then walk from the center of Ostrava to Vítkovice in half an hour.