The Libeň Bridge will remain closed for several weeks, and TSK will create a structure for support

Prague - The Libeň Bridge in Prague will remain closed in one of its sections for several weeks. The Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) is now planning and will produce a structure to place under the bridge. The schedule for the work will be specified next week. TSK spokesperson Barbora Lišková said this to ČTK today. The so-called inundation bridge, which is part of the Libeň complex, was closed by TSK on Thursday afternoon due to a technical fault for all traffic. The damage was likely caused by severe frost.

Trams are not running across the entire length of the bridge, and pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles are also prohibited from using the inundation bridge, which serves as a preventive protection against flooding. The bridge over the Vltava river is not closed. Pedestrians and cyclists can bypass the closed section via a footbridge to the Dock complex and through Štorchova Street up the ramp to the bridge.

The Libeň Bridge is a complex consisting of six bridges and was built according to the design of architect Pavel Janák in 1928. The bridge has never been repaired and is in very poor condition.

"The inundation bridge remains completely closed to all types of traffic. We will clarify the schedule for further steps next week. We now need to design and produce a structure that we will place under the bridge. It will be based on a similar principle as in the case of the bridge at Vltavská," said Lišková.

The fault was discovered by road workers during geodetic measurements of the arch structure and monitoring of the joints at the apex of the inundation bridge. It concerns a separate arch on Rohanský Island. "All previous static calculations and diagnostic surveys assumed the correct functionality of the joints in the load-bearing system of the bridge's arch. The static system in the arched parts is particularly sensitive to lower temperatures in winter, which are crucial for the overall load capacity of the bridge," Lišková stated.

Since the beginning of the year, experts have conducted an endoscopic survey of the jointed section. "It was found in this area that the load-bearing metal plates ensuring the functionality of the entire system are out of their correct position, and there is also crushing of the concrete in the load-bearing elements," the spokesperson stated.

Due to the state of the bridge, a newly established monitoring council will also meet, consisting of designers, experts from the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Brno University of Technology, as well as representatives of TSK and the contractor. "This council will regularly evaluate current information about the state of the arch bridges. Based on this information, the council will determine further procedures," Lišková added.

In connection with the closure of part of the Libeň Bridge, the transport company (DPP) also had to suspend tram operations on the Hlávka Bridge on Thursday. Minor work had been planned there for February. To allow the bridge to accommodate more tram lines bypassing the Libeň Bridge, work has already been done now.

The situation at the bridge will be discussed by Prague councilors. "I will have the topic of the Libeň Bridge included for discussion by Prague councilors in January so that they know the condition of the bridge and what plans we have for it," said Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).

The Libeň Bridge was temporarily closed to cars and public transport in 2018 as well. The diagnostics two years ago showed that all arches exhibit the same load capacity as at the time of construction.

Under the leadership of Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) from 2014 to 2018, the city considered demolishing the Libeň Bridge and replacing it with a new structure; however, her successors decided on repairs. The consortium of companies that will repair the bridge is led by Metrostav TBR, which includes the parent company Metrostav and the design firms SATRA and SHP. According to earlier statements by TSK Director Jozef Sinčák, work could begin in the spring of 2025.