The Trojan footbridge allegedly had no reason to be closed

Prague - Employees of the company Pontex, which monitored the condition of the Prague Troja footbridge for the Technical Management of Communications (TSK), testified in court today that they had no reason to close the footbridge. Although they classified the condition of the structure as very poor before its collapse, they stated that there are bridges in operation in the Czech Republic that are in an emergency state. The witnesses also believe that it was not necessary to contact the footbridge's designer, the accused Jiří Stráský, during the repairs.

Pontex, which also engages in the diagnostics of transportation structures, conducted inspections of the footbridge based on contracts with TSK. From 2014 until the collapse of the structure in December 2017, its condition was monitored continuously. In 2012, the footbridge underwent repairs. "After the repairs, we estimated the lifespan of the footbridge to be ten to 15 years," said Tomáš Míčka, head of the company's diagnostic group, at the District Court for Prague 7.

"We did not have a clear indication that the footbridge should be closed. Usually, we close them at level 7, see for example the Libeň Bridge. If we are sure that a given structure is unfit for use, we immediately close it, we have no problem doing that," the witness stated. "We operate bridges in level 7 as well; that is not a reason to close them," added his colleague Tomáš Klier.

Level seven— the worst level for detected defects—indicates an emergency state. Pontex rated the condition of the Troja footbridge as level six, which is very poor. "There are a lot of such structures," noted Míčka, adding that determining the condition is a subjective assessment by the person conducting the inspection, and it can happen that the structure is reassessed from a worse level to a better one.

Klier admitted in court that during the inspection of a specific cable in the footbridge, they found it completely corroded and the neighboring cables "significantly corroded." "We stumbled upon this by accident; it was not apparent on the surface at all," he stated. Therefore, in June 2017, the company recommended to the manager, namely TSK, to extend the survey to include core samples. "It was ordered in October or November to be carried out, but unfortunately, there was no time to address it," he described.

"I only received it on my desk a few weeks before the collapse, with the understanding that it would be completed by February or whenever," Klier responded to the prosecutor's question about why nothing happened from June to December. "The survey was planned to take months, and the footbridge collapsed during this time," he added.

The accused Stráský sharply criticized Klier's work today. "He conducted inspections without understanding the function of the structure, was unaware of the modifications made in 2012, did not familiarize himself with the results of diagnostic surveys, and did not consider the impact of added loads," he stated in court. He added that if Klier had acted correctly, he would have had to propose either closing the footbridge or reinforcing it. Stráský is also bothered by the fact that Klier did not consult with him during the process.

The witness defended himself by saying that he conducted inspections according to applicable standards. His then-superior Míčka also defended him, stating that he did not communicate with Stráský during the repairs in 2012. "I think it was unnecessary. The footbridge was designed quite boldly, but the intent of the designer was clear to us. One cannot expect to be contacted at every reconstruction—what if he died or went abroad?" he noted, adding that when they previously asked Stráský for documentation on another bridge of his over the Jizera River, he could not locate it.

The prosecution accuses Stráský and the former head of the bridge department, Antonín Semecký, of negligence causing general danger, for which they face up to eight years in prison. Four people were seriously injured in the collapse of the footbridge.