In the construction of the bridge at Výtoň, according to monitoring, the first crack has appeared, stated SŽ

Prague – Measurements have discovered the first crack in the main structure of the railway bridge at Prague's Výton. The server iROZHLAS.cz reported this, and David Gavenda, spokesperson for the Railway Administration (SŽ), confirmed it to ČTK, stating that no further traffic restrictions are currently necessary. There is a dispute regarding the fate of the bridge; SŽ wants to replace its structure with a new one, while local associations and municipalities want its reconstruction and preservation of its current form.

The iROZHLAS.cz server, referencing Pavel Ryjáček, a member of the bridge monitoring council from the Czech Technical University in Prague, stated that the condition of the main bridge structure is deteriorating, cracks have appeared, and further possible restrictions will be known by the end of this year. Traffic on the bridge is already limited due to its poor condition.

Gavenda confirmed the information from the server. "Continuous measurements have shown that the condition of the bridge structure is continuing to deteriorate. For the very first time, a crack has appeared in the main bridge structure. This fact represents another significant shift on the risk scale," he stated.

He added that it is not yet necessary to impose further traffic restrictions on the bridge, as, in connection with the reconstruction of Smíchov station and related closures, fewer trains will start using the bridge by the end of the year. "After the second track on the reconstructed Branický bridge is put into operation at the end of October, most long-distance traffic from Plzeň will be transferred to it. The currently operating single track of the Branický bridge is primarily used by freight transport, which no longer has to pass over the Výtoň bridge due to this," the spokesperson further explained.

According to the spokesperson, the bridge monitoring council will have conclusions from the analysis of the condition of the pillars, which may have been damaged by the increased flow of the Vltava River in September, by the end of the year. "In addition to representatives of the Railway Administration, there is also a bridge structure expert from the Czech Technical University and from the design company SUDOP in the monitoring council," Gavenda added.

SŽ is now seeking designers for a new structure to replace the current bridge. The administration plans the work for the years 2027 to 2029 and estimates the costs at 3.4 billion Czech crowns. According to the preliminary plan, the current heritage-protected structure should be moved upstream of the Vltava River between Modřany and Velká Chuchle, where it would serve further as a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists. The plan to replace the bridge has been long criticized by conservationists, the group Nebourat, and the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).