Hradec Králové announced the 3rd tender for the footbridge over the Elbe

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové has announced the third competition for the construction of a footbridge over the Elbe near the Aldis congress center. The deadline for submitting bids is October 3, according to the tender documentation. Compared to the previous two competitions, the new tender conditions are milder. There is no requirement for the contractor to be able to work with the technology of special high-performance concrete, which the bridge is to be made from.

The estimated cost of the bridge, for which the city wants to use European grants, is approximately 60 million crowns including VAT. If the city hall selects a contractor by the end of this year, the actual construction of the bridge could begin at the beginning of next year. It could be completed in 2021. The project has been in preparation by the city since 2003.

No one applied for the first tender, which was announced this January. For the second, the city hall relaxed the competition conditions and hoped that more companies would apply. However, only one applicant came forward, and the city canceled the second tender as well. "Initially, we required applicants to have reference contracts with elements (of high-performance concrete) UHPC. We ultimately removed this condition, and the only evaluation criterion remains price," said Jiří Bláha (ODS), Deputy Mayor for Investments, earlier.

Due to delays in the construction of the footbridge over the Elbe in the Aldis area, the city faces sanctions of 15.2 million crowns. This is because the city committed to the construction of the footbridge in a contract with Československá obchodní banka (ČSOB), which began building its regional headquarters in the area last year. The contract states that if the city does not manage to build the bridge by April 2020, it must return a third of 45.6 million crowns, for which it previously sold land to the bank for the construction of the headquarters. The city is therefore negotiating with the bank to extend the deadline via an amendment to the contract.

The footbridge will connect the Aldis area with the city center. In the past, nature conservationists had objections to the footbridge project. The original design included the felling of an oak tree on the riverbank, against which environmentalists successfully protested. Delays and disputes also accompanied the architectural competition. Ornithologists raised objections to the design of the bridge because the proposed bridge could interfere with the flight paths of birds, especially swans. The project was adjusted due to the comments from ecologists.