The construction of the Dvorecký Bridge over the Vltava River will cost Prague 1.08 billion CZK

Prague – The construction of the Dvorecky Bridge over the Vltava River, which will connect Prague 4 and 5, is expected to cost approximately 1.08 billion crowns. The project will be built for the city by a consortium of companies TBR Firesta Strabag – Dvorecky Bridge. Construction could begin within two to three months, and the work will last for 810 days. This was announced by Mayor Zdeněk Hřib and his deputy Adam Scheinherr. Last week, the capital city obtained a valid building permit. The bridge will serve trams, buses, cyclists, pedestrians, and rescue vehicles will be permitted to cross.

"Today we approved the contractor for the construction of the Dvorecky Bridge. This is a new crossing over the Vltava, actually the third one we are building during this electoral term, after the Troja and Štvanice footbridges," said Hřib.

The eastern exit of the bridge will be near the Žluté lázně north of Jeremenková Street, while the western end will lead near the Lihovar tram stop. The length will be 388 meters and the width 16 meters. The project includes both abutments of the bridge, including a bike path, retaining walls, and artworks. The bridge will complete the missing connection for public transport, pedestrians, and cyclists between the banks of the Vltava River. The area beneath the bridge will also be modified according to the design by artist Kryštof Kintera.

The Dvorecky Bridge will be part of the so-called southern tram tangent, which will connect the lines running from Barrandov and Modřany. "Transfer links between the transport hubs Lihovar and Dvorce will improve. We will also transfer part of the bus lines from the Barrandov Bridge," said Scheinherr. According to him, the route changes will improve the transit of buses between Novodvorská, Pankrác, and Smíchov.

If everything goes smoothly, construction should start within two to three months. "In a matter of weeks, we will sign the contract," added Scheinherr.

In the past, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were discussions about the ownership structure of Strabag, particularly concerning the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is on EU and US sanctions lists. According to the mayor, the company no longer has a problem. "As far as I know, the Austrian parent company has long ceased dividend payments and there has also been a change in ownership structure, so Mr. Deripaska should no longer be involved. The question is whether the legislation would even allow us to address this to exclude such a company," Hřib said.

The last completed Prague bridge over the Vltava, the Troja Bridge, was put into operation in October 2014. It replaced the Troja tram bridge from 1981, nicknamed "Rámusák," whose operation was terminated on October 7, 2013. In 2020, the city opened a new footbridge over the Vltava in Troja at the site of the one that collapsed in 2017. The municipality also recently started the construction of the Štvanice footbridge from Holešovice to Karlín.

Many bridges over the Vltava are in poor condition, and the city is gradually repairing them, currently for instance, the Barrandov Bridge. The Libeň Bridge and Hlávka Bridge are also awaiting repairs.