The new Krejcar Bridge for 70 million crowns will open at the end of May

Sokolov – The new Krejcarová footbridge in Sokolov, which will connect the city center with the development area of South Quarry, is set to open in the second half of May. The construction, costing 70 million crowns, was funded by the Ministry of Finance from grants for addressing the impacts of mining operations. The city of Sokolov contributed ten million crowns, reported today to ČTK by Deputy Mayor Jan Picka (independent).

The construction of the footbridge is almost complete. Work is currently underway on the final adjustments. "A load dynamic test revealed slight oscillation of the ramp, which will be resolved by the installation of a support. The work should be finished within 14 days to be completed before the building inspection," Picka stated. The inspection is planned for the first half of May, after which the city will make the bridge accessible. A cycling path under the bridge, which was closed due to construction, will also be opened.

The construction work began two years ago. Before that, the builders had to demolish the original bridge, which was in poor technical condition. The construction was disrupted by the coronavirus epidemic, causing work to halt for several months. The completion deadline for the footbridge was then postponed several times. Reasons included flaws in the project as well as complications arising during construction and the related complex administration.

The costs also increased during construction. Due to new circumstances identified during construction, the final price rose by ten million crowns according to the spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, Filip Běhal. The city paid for the lighting of the footbridge and the additional work associated with defects or changes to the project, such as cable hangers, valuation of material prices, stainless steel handrails, railings on the ramps, or modifications to the left bank at the footbridge entrance.

The Ministry is financing the construction from a program aimed at addressing ecological damage caused by mining in the Ústí and Karlovy Vary regions. Funds are directed to investments in recreational and leisure activities as well as broader regional development, such as local roads. The originally allocated 15 billion crowns was increased to 18 billion in 2019. So far, more than 14 billion crowns have been invested.

In the Karlovy Vary region, there are 128 projects, of which 42 have been completed. One of the largest investments was the construction of the western bypass of Sokolov for 175 million crowns or the construction of the road from Sokolov to Královské Poříčí for 140 million crowns. This year, projects for the utilization of the South Quarry area in Sokolov and the revitalization of the area around the Large and Small Anna reservoirs in Nové Sedlo will be funded from the so-called ecological billions.