Praha will apply for a building permit for the footbridge in Troja in January

Prague - The Prague City Hall will apply for a building permit in January for the construction of a temporary footbridge between Císařský Island and Troja. The city leadership is also preparing the documentation for launching a tender for the construction contractor. CTK was informed today by the spokesperson of the City Hall, Vít Hofman. Construction is expected to begin at the start of the second quarter of next year. The temporary footbridge is to replace the original one, which collapsed on December 2nd last year, injuring four people, two of whom were in serious condition. The footbridge is currently being replaced by a ferry.

The City Hall originally intended for the temporary structure to be 3.5 meters wide with a surface made of wooden planks. This was not liked by the local municipality of the seventh city district. The project was thus revised, and in October, the city submitted it for consideration to the relevant state administration authorities. "We anticipate submitting the application for the building permit after obtaining all opinions from state administration authorities at the beginning of January 2019," Hofman stated.

The temporary footbridge is slated to be constructed next year, with a lifespan of up to 30 years. After that, Prague will announce an architectural competition for the final design of the bridge, which is to be six to seven meters wide.

The temporary structure will provide a connection between Pod Havránkou street and Císařský Island for pedestrians and cyclists. Emergency vehicles will also be able to use the footbridge. The design of the bridge is planned as an asymmetrical continuous structure with six spans. The bridge deck is made up of a central steel circular profile and a system of crossbeams and longitudinal beams. The surface will be wooden, and public lighting will be placed in the handrails of the railing.

The left bank of the Vltava River with Troja is expected to be connected by two additional footbridges, but the city has not yet decided on their construction. One is intended for pedestrians downstream from the collapsed one. The other would lead from Podbaby to the zoo, and trams would run on it. According to the plans of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), the track would continue from there to Bohnice. However, Prague 8 opposed this. According to information from CTK, the city and IPR are working with a variant that would create a tram loop near the zoo. No decision has been made on this variant yet either.