Praha will check the condition of the Legions Bridge, reconstruction is planned

Prague - The Prague Technical Communication Administration (TSK) will investigate the extent of damage to the Legií Bridge. A year-long survey will not significantly restrict traffic on the bridge, and a complete closure is expected in the autumn for a few days. TSK spokeswoman Barbora Lišková informed ČTK about this. After assessing the condition of the bridge and preparing the project, repairs to the structure will follow. The timeline is estimated for the earliest in 2022.

TSK has already selected a company to carry out the work. It is the Pontex company. Considering the heritage protection of the bridge, the survey will be overseen by staff from the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ). The work will mainly be conducted from the Shooting Island or from the surface of the Vltava River. The results, including recommendations for the repair of the bridge, should be known by May next year.

Fieldwork will take place this summer and autumn. During the holidays, it will be necessary to partially restrict automotive and pedestrian traffic while workers place probes into the roadways and sidewalks of the bridge surface. TSK anticipates a complete closure for several autumn days due to load tests and drilling work on the roadway and tram tracks.

The Legií Bridge, along with a large part of the major bridges across the Vltava, is in poor condition. The city intends to coordinate the reconstruction with the overall modifications planned in the Ujezd area. The transport company also wants to shift the tram tracks on the bridge, which would lead to changes at the intersection in front of the National Theatre.

Last week, the design company Sudop proposed the demolition of the Railway Bridge under Vyšehrad. The main issue is extensive corrosion of the steel structure. Prague is also addressing the fate of the Libeň Bridge, regarding which there is disagreement among politicians and experts on whether to demolish it or repair it.

The Legií Bridge, connecting the banks of the Vltava from the National Theatre across Shooting Island to Ujezd, was opened in 1901. It replaced the chain bridge of Francis I, which was decommissioned after 56 years of operation in 1897. The new structure was initially known to Prague residents as the New Bridge of Francis I, then from 1919 to 1940 as the Legií Bridge, Smetana Bridge, and later as the 1st May Bridge. Since 1990, it has again been called the Legií Bridge. There is a story related to the ceremonial opening of the bridge about a newspaper photograph of Emperor Francis Joseph I with the alleged caption "Stroll on the bridge." Since then, it is said that the monarchs in Bohemia were nicknamed "Old Stroll."