Workers removed a section of the railway bridge being repaired in Karlín

Prague - The first part of the steel structure of the railway bridge was dismantled yesterday afternoon from the Negrelli Viaduct in Prague's Karlín district. It was lowered to the ground on Prvního pluku street by a 500-ton crane. The second part of the bridge is also expected to be removed today. The bridge over Prvního pluku street is part of the currently under-reconstruction Negrelli Viaduct. Built in 1936, it is in unsatisfactory condition. The modernization of the Negrelli Viaduct, which began last summer and will last three years, is being carried out by the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC).

The dismantled steel structure was partially repaired in 1996, when the administration reinforced it under the right track. The structure weighs 80 tons, and workers placed it on prepared beams in a parking lot. Here it will be cut up and the remnants will end up at the scrapyard.

Today, workers will also begin dismantling the second part of the structure. "Unless something extraordinary happens, it should be removed today as well. The workers will continue until it is visible," said SŽDC spokesman Marek Illiaš to ČTK. If they do not finish, they will continue on Saturday. In addition to the structures, the supports of the viaduct will also be demolished. The foundations and supports will be reinforced with injection molding.

According to Illiaš, a new steel structure should appear in Karlín during the next year. It will carry one track and will be a truss bridge with a lower deck and a parabolic upper chord.

Last year, SŽDC removed the extensions and additions to the viaduct, took down the track superstructure and the catenary. All arches are now being examined by the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University. This involves inspecting one hundred arches made from various materials, including concrete, brick, sandstone, and granite, as well as their various combinations. A total of 30,000 to 35,000 stones will be examined.

The Negrelli Viaduct is the first railway bridge in Prague over the Vltava River and the second oldest standing bridge in Prague. It connects Masaryk Station across Štvanice Island with Bubny. The 1100-meter-long structure, which was put into operation at the beginning of June 1850, is a protected monument. It is named after engineer Alois Negrelli, who oversaw the construction.