On the Libeň Bridge in Prague, static tests have started

Prague - Load tests began this evening on the Libeň Bridge in Prague in advance of the planned reconstruction. They will continue until Saturday from 8:00 PM to 4:30 AM, and the bridge is therefore closed to traffic. Experts will measure deformations during the passage of two vehicles, each weighing 40 tons. The construction will be crossed at a speed of no more than five kilometers per hour.

“The tests are meant to tell us what the bridge can withstand and how it behaves. The tests are untypical; they are larger than when two trams meet. We are starting to see possibilities for how to repair the bridge and what method will be best,” said Deputy Prague Mayor Petr Dolínek to journalists.

The bridge should be able to withstand up to 190 tons. The tests aim to ascertain the condition of the bridge and assess the options for its reconstruction. Deformations of the arches and temperatures outside the bridge are being monitored, among other things. After July 16, experts will also perform drilled probes and take concrete samples.

The Prague City Council approved the reconstruction last year, but the start date is not known. The city is awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Culture, which is discussing declaring the bridge a monument. A recent study of the Libeň Bridge revealed that the concrete pillars are damaged by corrosion and the mechanical properties of the concrete are unstable, reported the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University, which is conducting the survey.

The bridge, built in 1928, has long been in a state of disrepair. “We are looking very closely at the parts in the subfoundation, which have shown, for example, that the concrete is affected by relatively intense sulfate corrosion. Part of our work also includes testing and preparing remediation methods,” said Jiří Kolísko, director of the Klokner Institute, today.

Since the Libeň Bridge was put into operation in 1928, its load-bearing structure has never been repaired. The authors of the bridge, which connects Holešovice and Libeň, are the notable architect Pavel Janák and engineer František Mencl.