Barrandov Bridge is fully open to traffic after two years of repairs

Prague – Drivers can once again use all eight lanes of the Barrandov Bridge in Prague, which is the busiest road in the Czech Republic. The main work of the more than two-year reconstruction has been completed. The repaired bridge was opened yesterday afternoon by representatives of the city and its company Technical Administration of Roads (TSK), which takes care of Prague's bridges. Thanks to the merging of the final phases, the work finished a year ahead of schedule, but due to the choice of a more modern concrete, the cost increased from 594.5 million to 1.14 billion crowns. According to TSK Director Filip Hájek, the expected lifespan of the repaired structure before another major reconstruction is 40 to 50 years.

The Barrandov Bridge consists of two bridges. It was built in 1983 and is crossed by over 144,000 cars daily. It was renovated for the first time, with work beginning in May 2022 on the southern bridge, which is used by cars traveling from Smíchov to Braník. This year’s work on the northern part began in March and was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer holidays. Ultimately, due to a worse than expected condition of the structure, it was extended into the autumn.

Traffic on the bridge over the Vltava resumed normal operations today before noon. In the afternoon, TSK will also open the entrance ramp from Strakonická Street. The bridge still awaits the final phase, during which workers will refurbish the lower part of the structure. However, there will be no traffic restrictions during this work.

Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) described the reconstruction as a success. "The priority was to shorten the closure time as much as possible, and we were successful in this," he said. The repairs were completed a year earlier than planned, despite the worse-than-expected condition of the structure. According to Hřib, this is also due to the use of so-called ultra-high-performance concrete. Its biggest advantage is that it does not need to be used as much as standard concrete.

According to Hájek, the problem with the Barrandov Bridge was to support its own weight. "If we were to reinforce it with standard concrete, we would actually encounter the fact that it wouldn't support itself anymore," he said. The director added that the construction cost increase was due to three factors. The first was precisely the use of modern concrete, which meant an increase in costs of about 100 million crowns. The second factor was inflation, and the third, the highest, was the worse-than-expected condition of the structure. According to Hájek, if the city had not used modern technologies, the repairs would likely have taken another two years.

When accounting for the zero phase of repairs, during which the pillars were reconstructed among other things, the aforementioned last phase without closures, and the payment to the construction manager, according to TSK information, costs will rise to nearly 1.31 billion crowns. City management and Hřib were criticized for the price increase by opposition parties ANO and SPD, as well as some members of the coalition ODS.

TSK in Prague is also preparing the reconstruction of other bridges. Work on the Libeň Bridge has already started, part of which was demolished by workers, and the city will likely replace the main bridge over the river with a replica based on the original design by architect Pavel Janák. Future reconstructions are also expected for the Hlávka, Mánes, and Čechův bridges.