The repair of the Libeň Bridge will begin with the construction of a temporary footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists

Prague – The reconstruction of the Libeň Bridge in Prague will begin this year and will cost approximately 2.18 billion CZK. The repair will start with the construction of a temporary footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists. The work includes not only the repair of the bridge but also the transformation of its surroundings, including the construction of flood protection measures. This was announced to journalists today by Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Prague Together), General Director of the Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) Jozef Sinčák, and Aleš Gothard, Director of the company Metrostav TBR, which leads the consortium of companies that will carry out the work.

According to them, the appearance of the bridge over the river will not change, and the repair is expected to last about five years. "We are not only talking about the reconstruction of part of the bridge (over the river), but we are talking about a complete transformation of the Libeň Bridge communication from Holešovice to Palmovka, which is 1200 meters. The Libeň Bridge is a structure composed of six bridges," said Scheinherr. TSK and the city chose a method where one company provides the project and simultaneously carries out the work. The bridge, built in 1928, has never been repaired.

The consortium led by Metrostav TBR will repair and reconstruct the entire structure from the intersection with Dělnická and Jankovcová streets to Palmovka and will also work on the restoration of the buried Vltava arm. It will build bike paths and an accessible entrance to the bridge from Rohanský Island, which will be transformed into a recreational area in the future. A so-called flushing canal and flood protection measures will also be constructed. Other members of the consortium include the parent company Metrostav and the design firms SATRA and SHP.

Work will begin in the coming months. "We must first design it, apply for permission, and only then can we start implementing anything. We expect that during this year we might succeed in getting permission to construct the temporary footbridge," said Gothard. The construction of the footbridge is expected to start around the end of August and September and be completed by the end of this year. After that, the company will relocate engineering networks that currently run over the bridge.

In addition to the visible parts, the company will also repair the foundations and piers of the bridge. "There will be partial modifications, and some parts will be added that currently do not look like a bridge. Part of the main arches (over the Vltava) will remain the same as they look today. The point is that the bridge will have a greater load-bearing capacity, and trams will be able to pass each other," said Gothard. The company will try to get as close as possible to the appearance of the bridge from 1928. Its lifespan will be at least 60 to 80 years, it claims.

The former leadership of Prague planned to demolish the bridge and build a new, wider one. That plan was ultimately abandoned. "There is no reason for the bridge to be expanded, as it does not lead to any transit connection in the city, and traffic jams do not occur here. It serves primarily as a backbone for public transport, but not for automobile traffic. It mainly plays a role as a local connection between city parts," Scheinherr said today.

The Libeň Bridge from 1928 is in a critical condition. In 2018, it was temporarily closed to cars and public transport due to this. Last year, diagnostics showed that all arches have the same load capacity as during the construction. The previous leadership of Prague planned to demolish the bridge and replace it with a new structure, but the current leadership of the city hall decided to repair it.