In an emergency situation, the road workers will demolish part of the Libeň Bridge and build a new one

Prague – If a group of experts declares the state of the closed section of the Libeň Bridge over Rohanský Island as emergency next week, the Road and Transport Administration (TSK) will begin preparations for its demolition. This could start within a few weeks and would last about three to four months. Subsequently, TSK would begin the construction of a new flood bridge, which will take 15 months. The work will not affect traffic on the bridge over the Vltava River, which is culturally protected. Jozef Sinčák, the general director of TSK, said this today. The expert group consists of designers, experts from the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University in Prague and the University of Technology in Brno, as well as representatives from TSK and the contractor.

Two weeks ago, TSK closed the flood bridge for trams, pedestrians, and cyclists due to damage caused by frost. Experts discovered faults in the top joint. Joints ensure the transfer of forces from the bridge structure to the supports and piers. The bridge over the Vltava does not show significant problems and does not need to be closed.

The Libeň Bridge is a combined structure consisting of six bridges and was built according to the design of architect Pavel Janák in 1928. The bridge has never been repaired and is in very poor condition.

"If the emergency state is indeed declared, we will proceed according to the project we have already prepared, because a planned reconstruction of the entire structure is being prepared. We wanted to kick off the entire project with this phase (demolition of the flood bridge), as it was clear from the beginning that this is the weakest part of the whole structure," said Sinčák.

According to him, the current findings suggest that the state of the flood bridge will be declared emergency by experts. "Our assumption is that starting next Tuesday, we will begin planning the demolition. The preparation will take several weeks, in my estimate, with the demolition itself potentially starting in March," said Sinčák. TSK investigated whether it would be possible to temporarily support the flood bridge. Experts examined four possible solutions, but none proved to be suitable, and they would be financially and time-consuming as well.

The demolition of the bridge over the Vltava and the construction of the new flood bridge will not affect it and it will remain in operation. The new flood bridge will also be easily connectable to the part over the Vltava. Road workers are supposed to address its reconstruction in the next phase of the repair of the structure according to the project. The bridge over the river, in connection with the closure of the section over Rohanský Island, was examined by experts. They found no defects that would require TSK to close it.

Trams are currently not running across the entire length of the bridge, and pedestrians, cyclists, and cars are also prohibited from using the flood bridge, which serves as a preventive protection for the road against flooding. The bridge over the Vltava is not closed. Pedestrians and cyclists can bypass the closed section via a footbridge to the Dock complex and Štorchova Street via a ramp to the bridge.

Under the leadership of Prague under mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) from 2014 to 2018, there was a plan to demolish the Libeň Bridge and replace it with a new structure, but her successors decided on a repair. The consortium of companies that will repair the bridge is led by Metrostav TBR and also includes parent company Metrostav and design firms SATRA and SHP. According to earlier statements by TSK director Jozef Sinčák, work could start in the spring of 2025.