Repairing the bridge at Výton was supported by 20 percent of respondents in the survey for SŽ

Prague - One-fifth of people from Prague and Central Bohemia support the renovation of the railway bridge in Vyton, while nearly two-thirds are in favor of building a new bridge, according to a survey conducted for the Railway Administration (SŽ) using the Instant Research application by Ipsos. The results were provided today to ČTK by SŽ spokesperson Dušan Gavenda. There has been a wave of resistance from residents, local politicians, and heritage conservationists against the administration's intention to replace the bridge. According to representatives of the association Nebourat, which protests against the bridge replacement, this is not an objective survey of public opinion.

Of the 1544 respondents in the survey, 20.1 percent supported the renovation of the bridge in Vyton, 65.7 percent preferred the construction of a new bridge, and 14.2 percent had no opinion on the matter. Pavel Paidar, director of the SŽ construction preparation department, stated that the motivation for commissioning the survey was to find out public opinion outside of social networks.

According to information from SŽ, the survey also addressed the general question of heritage protection besides the specific case of the Vyton bridge. A slight majority of the public would generally lean towards prioritizing heritage protection, but in the case of historical railway bridges, 66.1 percent of respondents supported the view that functionality and safety should be prioritized. SŽ also stated that 67.9 percent of respondents expressed the opinion that experts, considering public opinion, should decide the fate of the bridge.

The survey was criticized by the association Nebourat. SŽ stated that it used the Instant Research application to collect data, which is, according to Ipsos agency's website, "popular among PR and communication agencies." “Evidently, it was a so-called PR survey that can be commissioned by practically anyone through online platforms,” stated political scientist and representative of Prague 4 Petr Kutílek (Greens). “The presentation of this ‘survey’ and its very questions fit perfectly into the manipulative practices we have witnessed since the very beginning of the preparation of this significant public procurement,” stated spokesperson for the Nebourat initiative Ina Koldová. She added that the media outputs from the Railway Administration and its PR agency are being reviewed by relevant ethical and regulatory bodies.

The Railway Administration previously announced an international architectural competition to address the poor condition of the bridge, the results of which were presented last year. The winning project plans for only the lower part with the pillars to be preserved, and the current riveted structure to be replaced with a new one. Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) previously stated that he wants to decide on further steps by the end of the year.

According to Paidar, steel bridge structures are generally problematic because they are often weakened by corrosion even in places that cannot be accessed during repairs, and an disproportionately expensive reconstruction will only extend their lifespan by a few decades. "Therefore, we have long pointed out that their (the bridges) heritage protection is questionable and complicates the modernization of railways, not only in the case of the railway bridge in Vyton,” he added.

The preservation of the current form of the bridge is demanded by the National Heritage Institute, the capital city, the municipal districts of Prague 5 and Prague 2, and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The association Nebourat has launched an online petition, which has so far been supported by nearly 20,000 people.

The railway bridge in Vyton was put into operation in its original form on August 15, 1872. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was replaced by the bridge that spans the Vltava River to this day. SŽ has managed the bridge since 2008, and in 2004 it was declared a cultural monument. Since 2010, SŽ has unsuccessfully attempted to have the monument status removed twice.