The largest cable-stayed bridge in the Czech Republic is being built in Pardubice

Pardubice – The largest cable-stayed bridge being built in Pardubice has, after half a year of construction work, crossed the Elbe. Only the last 12 meters remained to be shifted. This was stated by the bridge's designer Petr Vítek from the company Hochtief CZ. The bridge construction is part of the northeastern bypass, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

"The completed bridge deck weighs 10,000 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of 200 tanks. The extension proceeded without complications," said Vítek. A hundred people worked on the completion of the bridge extension. The maximum speed of the bridge's movement was one meter per minute. After the bridge structure crosses the river, there is still a lot of work waiting for the workers; now everything is only about halfway done, said Vítek.

"There is still a lot to be done. The end girders will need to be completed, we will have to build the pylon and install the suspensions. Then, the roadway or the parapets will be done," said Vítek.

The construction of the bridge and the entire bypass has encountered occasional complications. Builders along the route encountered a relatively large dump of hazardous waste, and because of the high water, which undermined the bottom of the Elbe in January, divers had to reinforce a temporary pylon.

"One temporary support was undermined in the river; we secured it with stays and simultaneously reinforced the bottom with concrete to prevent risks in case of further floods," said Vítek.

The suspended bridge is made of prestressed concrete, with a span of 122 meters across a blind arm of the Elbe and a record 135 meters across the Elbe river, making it the largest suspended bridge in the Czech Republic. A similar but smaller one exists in Poděbrady.

The bridge will be located on the route of the northeastern bypass of Pardubice. It includes ten bridges, 12 noise barriers, and two grade-separated intersections. Work on it began in December 2022. It will cost 1.4 billion crowns. The road is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

The deadline may still change because the road workers lack 300 square meters of land located near the cable-stayed bridge. The road workers are trying to reach an amicable agreement with the owner, said ŘSD spokesperson Jan Rýdl.

"The most dramatic moment on the legal front awaits us; we do not own the land that we need for the operation of the entire construction. An expropriation process is underway, but we are trying to negotiate; last week we made another conciliatory proposal to the owner. I won't specify more; the negotiations are very sensitive," said Rýdl. Due to the missing land, road workers have already postponed the completion date from spring 2025 to the fourth quarter of 2025, he added.