Experts on bridge construction are behind the new design of the bridge under Vyšehrad

Prague - Bridge engineers recommend constructing a new bridge in Prague under Vyšehrad instead of reconstructing the existing structure. At the two-day symposium Bridges 2023 in Brno, 130 experts signed a joint statement, which serves as a professional and factual defense of the procedure for selecting the new form of crossing over the Vltava River. They discussed their opinion on Thursday and will officially submit it to Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) next week. Representatives of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT) informed ČTK about this.

The Czech Railways (SŽ) announced an international architectural competition for the design of the bridge, the results of which were presented last year. The winning project envisions that the lower part with the pillars will be preserved and the current riveted structure will be replaced with a new one. Against this and its design, a wave of criticism has emerged.

"Every decision is a political one. However, in construction, we do not play with hypotheticals. In our field, more precisely in a number of professional areas related to the design, construction, and management of bridges, everything must fit to the millimeter. It is not only about the appearance of the building, but also about the responsibility of the authors, owners, and managers before the court, which would certainly arise in the event of an accident. In this light, the efforts to save and convert the existing bridge, which unfortunately is already at the end of its lifespan, are clearly understandable only aesthetically and humanely," said Robert Špalek, chairman of ČKAIT.

The signatories of the statement "strongly" point out the risks associated with questioning the results of the competitive dialogue, in which leading experts in bridge and transport engineering as well as architecture and urbanism were involved. Authorized individuals among architects, engineers, and technicians honor the form of the architectural-structural competition as an indisputable, independent, and professional path to the most qualified result, they state in their text.

The chair of the jury of the competitive dialogue, Pavel Ryjáček, added that the fact that the bridge is part of the public space, interest, and discussion does not mean that various interest groups will challenge the results of the competition based on more or less subjective and feeling-based aspects. He pointed out that these groups bear no responsibility; the authors, and especially the authorized individuals, do.

The alternatives that have emerged since the announcement of the results, according to bridge specialists, only take into account one requirement of public interest, usually preservation measures.

A portion of the public has opposed SŽ's plans for a new bridge from Výtoň to Smíchov, and a petition has been created to save the bridge. Prague 5 and the former city administration also disagree with SŽ's approach. Václav Girsa, president of the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), stated that demolishing a railway bridge and replacing it with another is unacceptable and poses a risk of international embarrassment. The new Prague city council supported the reconstruction of the bridge in its current form.

SŽ and the Ministry of Transport organized an international colloquium, and seven out of ten participating experts in their statements recommended replacing the structure. The Minister of Transport stated that he wants to decide on the next steps by the end of this year.

The railway bridge at Výtoň was opened in its original form on August 15, 1872. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was replaced by a bridge that still spans the Vltava River today.