The Ústí nad Labem bridge is awaiting reconstruction

Ústí nad Labem - The Edvard Beneš Bridge in Ústí nad Labem is set for a complete reconstruction. The cost is estimated to be around 190 million crowns. The Ústí Region, which owns the bridge over the Elbe River in the center of the regional city, will try to obtain a subsidy for the repairs, said Regional Governor Oldřich Bubeníček (KSČM) to ČTK.

The bridge, which connects the city center with the Střekov district, was built between 1934 and 1938 and serves automotive traffic. It also carries the traction power line for the public transport system in Ústí. It has been in poor condition for several years. The city council will receive the proposal for its repairs before the end of the year. "If everything goes well and I expect the regional council will approve this project in December, we will have at least a year before the project documentation is prepared. I believe that if everything goes well, construction could start sometime in early 2019," Bubeníček told ČTK. The actual repairs are expected to take three to four years, according to the governor.

The bridge would be completely closed for at least a year and a half. The estimated repair cost is 190 million crowns. The actual expenses will only be revealed through the tender process. The bridge is managed by the regional contribution organization Road Administration and Maintenance of the Ústí Region. "Of course, if we manage to obtain European funds or funds from the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure, we wouldn't be upset. If we don't obtain them, the condition of the bridge is such that it must be done, and the region would have to find the money in its budgets," Bubeníček added.

This year, the region will have steel nets installed on the bridge to catch its crumbling parts, which threaten the bike path on the Střekov side and, on the other side, the main route from Ústí nad Labem to Děčín.

A complete reconstruction is also planned for the bridge over the Elbe in Roudnice nad Labem, which is in an emergency state. The repairs are expected to cost around 150 million crowns. The investment plan was already approved by the councilors in September.