Pardubice has three designs for the new captain Bartoš bridge

Pardubice – The Pardubice representatives will approve the construction of a new bridge over the Elbe and also a temporary bridge at the November meeting. It will replace Captain Bartoš Bridge, where traffic is currently being managed in a one-way system due to its emergency condition. This was stated by Deputy Mayor Jan Hrabal to ČTK.

Captain Bartoš Bridge is old, with a deck dating back to 1882. The bridge originally served at the lock, then it was moved to Polabiny. The behavior of the structure shows significant deviations from the set numerical model. Since February, traffic has been managed in a one-way system, and heavy vehicles, including public transport, are not allowed on the bridge. Therefore, the transport company sends minibuses over the bridge.

The city has decided to demolish the old bridge and build a new one. However, they first need to construct a temporary bridge, which is not as time-consuming as building a new bridge. "In an optimistic scenario, we believe that traffic could be conducted over the temporary bridge in October 2025. This would allow us to transfer traffic from the old bridge to the temporary bridge, which will also be fully accommodating for urban public transport," said Miroslav Čada, head of the development and strategy department.

The construction company will likely rent the temporary bridge while simultaneously constructing the new one. The city has three options for its appearance. "The first option is a steel beam structure, with no support in the riverbed, made either from corten steel or finished with a gray-blue coating. The second option is similar to the bridge between Mělice and Valy near Přelouč. Option C has resonated as the best so far; it has three spans, a steel structure, and is made of patina steel, that is, corten," Hrabal said.

The new bridge will have sidewalks on both sides, unlike the existing one, which has a sidewalk on only one side. "The optimistic scenario assumes that the November council will approve the investment plan. Personally, I would prefer option C, which is not too prominent and fits into the landscape," said Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO).

If both constructions are started by the construction company simultaneously, the city will save money, added Hrabal. "We are just at the beginning; the estimated costs range from 200 to 300 million crowns. The economic efficiency lies in the fact that the time we need to have the temporary bridge will be shortened to two to two and a half years. The second significant factor is the grant from the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure," Hrabal said.