In Pilsen, the reconstruction of the second half of Patton Bridge started today

Plzeň - Reconstruction of the second half of General Patton Bridge, the most important and longest bridge in the city, began today in Plzeň. More than 50,000 cars pass over it daily. Traffic from the Lochotín housing estate to the center, thus from Karlovy Vary and Most, will be partially restricted and pedestrians will not be allowed on the repaired half. Builders have already narrowed both lanes with horizontal markings. Demolition work will begin on Wednesday and the speed limit will be reduced to 30 kilometers per hour, Miroslav Blabol from the Plzeň Directorate of Roads and Highways (ŘSD) told ČTK. By the end of the year, a narrowed sidewalk and three lanes instead of two will be created.

Today, the builders carried out orange horizontal traffic markings. From 7:00 PM until about 2:00 AM on Wednesday, a switch will be installed at both approaches.

"From four o'clock in the morning, trams will already be driving over them, using the newly repaired half of the bridge on one track," Blabol stated. "In the morning, a company will take over to start demolition work on the tram line, which will last until March 19-20," he added. The old track will then be covered with asphalt and vehicle traffic will be redirected to it so that the builders can demolish the outer part of the bridge.

The general reconstruction for 167 million CZK including VAT must be completed by June 2019, according to the contract. "If everything goes smoothly, the entire bridge should be operational by the end of this year," Blabol noted. The remedial work on the substructure should be completed by mid-2019. Throughout the repairs, two lanes in both directions will always be operational for vehicles. There were no accidents or traffic jams during the reconstruction of the first half.

Cameras and radar will be placed on the bridge to monitor the construction and the speed of passing cars.

As the investor, the ŘSD stated that the main contractor, the Colas company, is adhering to the schedule and shortened the construction time by three weeks last year. "Moreover, the quality was excellent. We appreciate that they also work on weekends," Blabol stated.

The repair of the bridge began on April 10 last year. It consists of two bridges next to each other, each 227 meters long, built in 1971. They carry international roads to Karlovy Vary and Most. In the center of Plzeň, this is the second major construction project this year. Last January, Mikulášská Street, opposite the train station, was closed until the end of this August, allowing only trams to pass.