Plans for three bridges take shape

Plans are coming together for what to do about the collapsed Troja footbridge, closed Libeňský most and worn-out Hlávkův most.

A large-capacity ferry will be introduced between Císařský ostrov and Troja in May to compensate for the footbridge that collapsed at the end of 2017, injuring four people, including two seriously. A small ferry, line P8, is currently operating. A contest for a new bridge will be announced.

The city is hoping to get traffic running on Libeňský most in a month, after some structural repairs. Currently, only pedestrians and bicyclists can go all the way across. Temporary buses are taking people to the bridge on both sides as far as is now safe. Long-term repairs are under discussion.

Hlávkův most, which is in very poor condition, won’t be fixed until 2020, as its state is not as dire as the others.

Prague deputy mayors Petr Dolínek (ČSSD) and Petra Kolínská (Greens) met with Prague 7 officials and representatives of the Technical Administration of Roadways (TSK), the Prague Institute for Planning and Development (IPR) and Vltava River Basin to address the bridge issue.

By the end of the week, Prague should order a high-capacity ferry to cover the span between Císařský ostrov and Troja, where the footbridge was. This ferry should accommodate about 200 passengers and could be used in a wider variety of river conditions. It will not require a rope across the river as a guideline. The ferry should operate from May this year.

An architectural competition for a new footbridge to be placed between Císařský ostrov and Prague Zoo will be announced, and talks on the location of the footbridge should be conducted. It could be in operation in May or June of 2019.

The process of supporting the weak parts Libeňský most has been started and a detailed project is now being created. This emergency repairs to restore traffic should take 28 days. “Prague 7 demands that the bridge is either repaired in part or that a temporary bridge be built next to the existing bridge during the repair of the bridge,” Prague 7 Mayor Jan Čižinský said, according to daily Pražský deník.

The new X25 bus line has been launched, which runs roughly halfway up the bridge. Barriers have also been shifted so that buses can rotate better. Last week, the P7 ferry, which runs from Holešovice to Karlín, was launched.

In the long term, repairs for Libeňský most depend on whether or not the Ministry of Culture declares it a landmark. If it is a landmark, repairs will take up to eight years and if not they will take three.

The city had been planning to replace the bridge with a wider one, but public outcry caused the city to decide in 2016 to preserve the bridge and repair it. It was not declared a landmark at that time though.

Hlávkův most is not in good technical condition but is not as bad as Libeňský most. Hlávkův most ranked in the sixth category, meaning very poor, for its technical condition. Libeňský most, however, was in the seventh category, meaning a state of emergency.

Hlávkův most has a valid zoning decision and the documentation for a building permit is being prepared and should be completed in 2019. The anticipated beginning of the repairs is in 2020. During repairs Hlávkův most, it will be possible to maintain public transport because the bridge can be repaired in two phases.

The concrete bridge Libeňský most was designed by architects Pavel Janák and František Mencl, and it opened April 29, 1928, for the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia.

The bridge was originally Masarykův most, and was called Baxův most in 1939 and '40, and then Libeňský most from 1940 to '45, then Baxův most again from 1945 to '52. It was Stalingradský most from 1952 to '62 and then Libeňský most since then.

Hlávkův most was built between 1911 and 1916, under the supervision of architects Pavel Janák and Vlastimil Hofman. It is named after Josef Hlávek, a prominent benefactor of science and art. It replaced a pedestrian bridge.

The Troja footbridge collapsed Dec. 2, 2017. An examination of the bridge in 2014 showed that corrosion of the steel support cables had weakened the bridge. In 2011, the last time the bridge was repaired, engineers said it had between five and seven years of use left.

The bridge, designed by architect Jiří Stráský, was completed in 1984. It replaced a bridge that was destroyed in a flood in 1981.