The design of the footbridge over the Elbe in H. Králové awaits modification due to birds

Libor Kábrt, footbridge over the Elbe in Hradec Králové, winning design

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové has commissioned the design of a footbridge over the Elbe River to a team led by architect Libor Kábrt, who won the architectural competition for the design of the bridge last year. The designers will need to adjust the proposal to meet the requirements of ornithologists. In its current form, it could interfere with the flight paths of birds, particularly swans. This was stated by Deputy Mayor Jindřich Vedlich (TOP 09) to ČTK. The footbridge is expected to cost around 35 million crowns; the city has been preparing for its construction since 2003.
Architect Kábrt and his team will develop all levels of project documentation for the city for 2.6 million crowns. They will first create documentation for the zoning decision since the city intends to apply for this decision in May next year. Subsequently, the designers will work on the documentation for the building permit. The city would like to obtain a grant covering 85 percent of the construction costs from EU funds.
The footbridge will be for pedestrians and cyclists and will connect Šimkovy Sady and the Aldis Congress Center with Karel IV Avenue in the city center. The construction of the footbridge is also requested by ČSOB (Czechoslovak Commercial Bank), which wants to build a new regional headquarters in the Aldis zone, where 1,000 people could work. In the land sale contract with ČSOB, the city committed to submitting a request for a zoning decision for the footbridge by January 1, 2017. After obtaining a final zoning decision, the city plans to construct the footbridge within three years.
The city hall already built a pedestrian boulevard in the Aldis zone in 2003 for 23 million crowns, which the footbridge was supposed to connect to. However, the original project included the felling of an oak tree on the riverbank, which was successfully opposed by nature conservationists. Delays and disputes also accompanied the architectural competition. Kábrt was disqualified from the competition last May due to suspicions that the expert juror, structural engineer Lukáš Vráblík, was collaborating with Kábrt. The architect successfully appealed the disqualification to the Office for the Protection of Competition, and the city council confirmed the original results of the tender last October.