The Morava River Basin Authority has repaired two bridges on the Baťa Canal

Huštěnovice/Babice (Uherskohradišťsko) - The Morava River Basin Authority has repaired two bridges in Huštěnovice and Babice in the Uherskohradišťsko region on the unique Baťa Canal waterway. Their reconstruction during November and December cost approximately six million crowns. The repaired bridges are expected to improve the safety of tourist navigation along the waterway section and also allow the passage of heavy agricultural machinery. Milan Blažek, spokesperson for the Morava River Basin Authority, informed ČTK about this.
    The bridges on the Baťa Canal were built in the 1930s. In the section between Spytihněv and Staré Město in Uherskohradišťsko, a total of seven were constructed. They were primarily intended to serve as access roads to the land located between the canal and the Morava River. Since their inception, they have been almost constantly used, but they have not undergone any significant reconstruction, and some of them have fallen into a completely inadequate technical state. The municipalities that owned them did not have the funds necessary for their reconstruction.
    The Morava River Basin Authority took over the two most damaged bridges this year. Their condition had begun to threaten the safety of shipping, and it was also necessary to adjust their clearance height. After reconstruction, both bridges, made of laminated oak wood on steel girders, can carry loads of up to 25 tons.
    The waterway connecting Otrokovice in the Zlín region and Rohatec in the Hodonín region was established in the 1930s. It originally served to transport lignite from mines in southern Moravia to Baťa factories and for irrigating surrounding fields. After World War II, the canal began to deteriorate. In the 1990s, efforts began to gradually restore it for tourist navigation.
    Interest in visiting this unique waterway has significantly increased in recent years. This year, from May to September, a record 65,000 people visited it, 2,500 more than last year. There are currently a total of 17 places along it where tourists can moor with a boat or houseboat. Next year, a new marina is expected to be created in Uherské Hradiště, and the Rohatec-Kolonie marina will also be opened. A project is also being prepared to extend the waterway from Rohatec to Hodonín. The length of the canal that could be navigated by boat would therefore be a new total of up to 65 kilometers.