Prague councilors will discuss the bridge at Výtoň; experts have recommended a replacement

Prague - Prague city councilors will discuss the situation regarding the railway bridge over the Vltava River between Podskalí and Smíchov at their next meeting at the end of March. Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), the deputy mayor for transport, told ČTK and Právo today. Discussions have been ongoing recently concerning the plan by the Railway Administration (SŽ) to replace the heritage-protected structure of the bridge with a new one. SŽ and the Ministry of Transport organized an international colloquium on the issue, where seven out of ten experts recommended replacing the structure. Critics argue that the bridge should instead be preserved in its current form.

According to Hřib, the city is currently preparing a resolution for the councilors. "It's a document that is being created in cooperation between the opposition and the coalition, so we want to present it together," he stated. He added that it is important to preserve the panorama from his perspective. "It is a key value in that location, so I would be glad if some solution that corresponds to that is adopted," he said.

Hřib further mentioned that from the city's point of view, the expansion of the bridge with a third track and the construction of a train stop at Výton is absolutely essential, which is agreed upon. This was confirmed by mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), who said that any potential repair would be very complicated, but the bridge's value should also play a role. He also emphasized that the final decision rests with the state, which owns the bridge.

A petition has been created against SŽ's plans; however, most of the experts participating in the international colloquium expressed the view that it is more practical and efficient to replace the structure and possibly preserve the current one as a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists, as SŽ plans.

"A realistic repair, which ensures resilience to expected traffic loads and sufficient lifespan, seems to be unfeasible," wrote Jiří Kolísko, director of the Klokner Institute at the Czech Technical University and an expert on bridges, in his statement from the colloquium. Other experts indicated that the bridge is in poor condition and its reconstruction would be expensive, lengthy, and the result would have a significantly lower lifespan than a new bridge.

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 only the lower part with the pillars will be preserved, and the current riveted structure will be replaced with a new one.

The railway bridge at Výton was put into operation in its original form on August 15, 1872. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was replaced by the bridge that spans the Vltava to this day. The current bridge consists of three trussed beams with a span of 69.9 meters, is 8.1 meters wide, and 298.4 meters long. According to experts, the structure is a significant technical cultural monument in an exposed part of the Prague Heritage Reserve. SŽ has previously unsuccessfully sought to remove the heritage protection from the bridge.