Stress tests will close the Libeň Bridge on Saturdays, March 14 and 21

Prague - The Prague City Hall, together with the Technical Administration of Communications (TSK), will completely close the Libeň Bridge on the following two Saturdays, March 14 and 21. The reason is load tests on the bridge, which are important for its future reconstruction. This was stated to journalists today by Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Prague for Themselves). The Libeň Bridge is a complex consisting of a historic bridge over the Vltava River and a so-called flood protection bridge on the bank, which serves as flood protection and under which water flows during floods. The bridge, built in 1928, has never been repaired and is in a poor condition.

"In the past, only one load test was conducted, and it was only on the flood protection section near Palmovka, and that with very low loading. In preliminary market consultations, potential contractors for the design documentation and construction asked whether more detailed load tests could be conducted," Scheinherr said.

Four arch spans will be examined. The bridge over the Vltava has five of them, and experts will focus on the three middle ones. One span will be tested at the aforementioned flood protection bridge. A load of 547 tons will be applied to the bridge, alternating between static and dynamic loading of the bridge. "We will put on as many tons as could never realistically be there. At the same time, we will test real traffic with trucks and trams," Scheinherr said.

The bridge will be completely closed to cars, public transport, and pedestrians on both specified Saturdays, from midnight to midnight.

According to the deputy, the results of the tests will be processed and known approximately within a month after the second test. Subsequently, the city will prepare a report and announce a public tender for the bridge's reconstruction. They will select one company to create the project and simultaneously repair the bridge. The reconstruction itself should start at the turn of 2021 and 2022. The exact date will be known only after the contractor is selected.

Prague has been facing long-term issues with the condition of its bridges. In early December 2017, a pedestrian footbridge between Císařský Island and Troja collapsed, injuring four people in the accident. Several bridges over the Vltava are in poor condition, including the Hlávka Bridge, the Legion Bridge, and the Palacký Bridge. The city, through the TSK, has initiated the diagnosis of their condition, as well as the cable-stayed bridge on the South Ring Road.

The Libeň Bridge from 1928 is in poor condition. Politicians have argued in the past about whether to demolish it or to reconstruct it. In January two years ago, it had to be closed for about a month to cars and public transport and was subsequently supported. The fate of the bridge has also been addressed in the past by the Ministry of Culture, but it was not declared a monument.