The project for the construction of a replica of the Libeň Bridge is to be completed by the end of the year

Prague - The Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) will have the project for the construction of a replica of the Libeň Bridge completed by the end of the year and will announce a tender for the company that will carry it out. This was stated by the head of the company, Filip Hájek, at today's meeting of the councilors. The reconstruction of the Libeň bridge complex is complicated by a review at the Antimonopoly Office (ÚOHS), which decided at the end of June that TSK can only continue with the work to the extent that corresponds to the originally tendered project, and not to a later revised version that includes the construction of a replica.

The Libeň Bridge is a complex made up of six bridges. It was created according to the design of architect Pavel Janák in 1928 and has never been repaired. TSK awarded the contract for its reconstruction to the company Metrostav TBR based on a tender at the beginning of 2022; the first works began in September of the same year. Last year, workers demolished the so-called inundation bridge towards Palmovka, and this May, construction of a new one began.

However, the originally tendered project was significantly changed by the city since the competition. The most significant change is that due to a worse than expected condition of the bridge over the Vltava, it is now planned to replace it with a replica on the original pillars instead of a previously planned reconstruction. The extensive changes, however, do not sit well with the ÚOHS, which states that the company effectively awarded a new contract without issuing a new procurement procedure. TSK and the company Metrostav TBR have filed an appeal against the June decision.

Today, Hájek said that TSK divided the work on the bridge complex into four phases, the first of which is the ongoing construction of the bridge towards Palmovka, which is expected to be completed in 2027. The next two phases concern, among other things, the construction of roads and relocations, with one of them for which the company is preparing to apply for a building permit, while it already has it for the other and is preparing to start work.

The last phase will involve the construction of the replica of the historic bridge. "This is the most complicated part, we are currently designing it, and the estimated completion of the project work is around the end of this year," said Hájek. He added that a request for a building permit would follow, which should take about half a year to obtain.

The question of the reconstruction of the bridge complex was included in today’s meeting agenda by the opposition ANO party, which originally proposed that TSK withdraw its appeal against the ÚOHS decision and terminate the project work on the new bridge being done by Metrostav TBR. This is a design and build type contract, which means that the selected company provides not only the construction but also the preparation of project documentation.

According to representatives of ANO, this could pose a problem since the ÚOHS explicitly prohibited TSK from performing work beyond the original contract in its non-final decision. Nevertheless, ANO ultimately amended its proposed resolution. The new wording instructs the city council to prepare a summary of the situation and propose further steps in cooperation with TSK for the councilors.

Movement representatives also demanded the issuance of a new contract for the bridge over the river during the discussion. In this regard, Hájek stated that TSK is indeed planning a new tender. According to him, the municipal company plans to announce several tenders that will include not only the construction of the bridge replica but also other works beyond the original competition. "The current contract with Metrostav accounts for the possibility of new constructions," said the director.