The fallen bridge in Troja will be replaced by a temporary structure

Prague - The collapsed footbridge in Prague's Troja will be replaced by a temporary bridge, the originally considered pontoon bridge would be unsuitable for pedestrians. Two new bridges should later connect Čertovka Island and Troja. Four people injured in Saturday's collapse of the structure will receive a grant of 50,000 crowns each. This is not compensation for health damages, that will be addressed by the city after investigating the incident.

In the collapse of the footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists, which connected Čertovka Island and Troja, two people were seriously injured and another two suffered bruises. Prague councilors today approved a grant of 50,000 crowns for each of the injured. "This is an act of solidarity. It certainly does not represent compensation, as that will be addressed once the whole matter is investigated," stated Deputy Mayor Eva Kislingerová (ANO).

The city hall wants to establish a ferry at the site of the collapsed bridge as soon as possible and create a temporary crossing of the Vltava River, which could be built within four to five months. Experts from the army will collaborate with the city on the construction of the crossing, said Deputy Mayor of Prague 7 Ondřej Mirovský (SZ/Trojkoalice). The city's leadership originally wanted to build a pontoon bridge, but eventually abandoned that idea due to its unsuitability for pedestrians.

The Troja bridge was never included in the city's land use plan. "This means that a change in the land use plan is necessary for the construction of a new bridge," stated Deputy Mayor Petr Dolínek (ČSSD). The City Institute for Planning and Development will submit a proposal to change the plan due to the construction of two new bridges from Čertovka Island to Troja. The first would be located at the site of the collapsed structure, and the second several dozen meters further downstream. Approving the change in the plan will take about a year.

"The fact that a bridge built in the past is not in the current land use plan does not in itself signify anything negative. It definitely does not mean that, for example, the construction was not in accordance with the regulations at the time it was built," informed CTK lawyer Martin Bohuslav from Deloitte Legal.

The employees of the Strabag company will now begin to remove the collapsed bridge. The dismantling should take about 13 days, but it will depend on the requirements of the forensic expert and the police. Costs will be up to ten million according to the company.

Prague is preparing inspections and closures of some bridges and footbridges due to the collapse of the Troja bridge. For safety reasons, the city hall closed the bridge over the Berounka River between the town of Černošice and the Prague neighborhood of Lipence on Monday evening. The mayor of the Prague part of Lipence, Michal Popek, disagrees with the closure, stating it is "unnecessary panic" and a complication for people who use the bridge. The town hall in Kroměříž, in the Zlín region, will also check one footbridge that was built using similar technology as the collapsed bridge in Prague.