The bridge under which you will find cafes and a skatepark. Not only Libeňák will be new
Not only the Libeňský bridge, but also the spaces under it, in its arches and especially the places in the immediate vicinity will undergo a significant change. The Prague City Council approved the final form of the main reconstruction, which includes the construction of shops, cafes and other services, new access to the water or a skate park. The designs are final, construction itself will begin in 2024, and Prague expects a two-year reconstruction.
It was not entirely clear whether it would eventually receive a reconstruction or simply a complete replacement. Prague councilors even decided to demolish it four years ago. The Libeň bridge from 1928 has long been in critical condition and traffic is limited on it. Since its inception, it has not undergone any major repairs and the surroundings are neglected. Prague presented how not only the footbridge itself will change, but also the places under it and around it.
The project envisages that the empty spaces under the bridge will be filled by shops and cafes, and in the open spaces under the arches, culture, a skate park, or ice skating will gain space. New approaches to the water will be created, barrier-free ramps will lead on Rohan Island. And a park is expected on the island. The authors of the design are Petr Tej, Jan Mourek and Oto Melter from the Mostní konstruktion studio.
The reconstruction will cost more than two billion crowns and is to start building temporary footbridges for pedestrians and cyclists. However, nothing major can cross the river in this place, the tram stops running for a year. “The competition for the reconstruction was also unique in that we did not only compete for the price, but also for the first time in the history of the city, for the length of the tram line. According to the original project, it was supposed to last two to three years,” says Deputy Mayor for Transport Adam Scheinherr.
The Libeňský bridge and its surroundings are awaiting reconstruction
At the same time, the aim was to dust off the cubist construction of the architect Pavel Janák “Of course, it is still true that we will preserve the most valuable, i.e. the arch structures, the bridge over the Vltava and the arch over the former eastern arm of the river. The arch constructions will connect the new bridge constructions based on the shape of Janák’s sketches, currently designed in detail in terms of layout and shape.” describes Scheinherr. The changes should contribute to the fact that, in the event of a flood, the level of the Vltava in Karlín has dropped by several tens of centimeters.
The 1,200-meter-long Libeňák connects Prague 7 and 8; in fact, it is a so-called confluence made up of six bridges. The construction is also essentially the start of the planned development of Palmovka. “There, we are preparing a large-scale development under the baton of the city, which will include rental apartments, a school, a kindergarten and, eventually, a center for the European Space Agency.” says Deputy Mayor for Territorial Development Petr Hlaváček.
The construction on Palmovce was recently taken over by the Prague municipality after years of disputes between Prague 8, which was supposed to have a new town hall in the company’s building, and Metrostav. “The city needs to be planned comprehensively and in context,” adds Hlaváček.
For the bridge, the Technical Communications Administration and the city chose a method where one company delivers the project and performs the work at the same time, which is supposed to speed up the whole process. In addition to the design, the new completed study also includes coordination with surrounding projects in the area or an exact specification of binding architectural and urban planning details.
It is a reworked original study created for the needs of the Design and Build contract from September 18, 2020, in which the authors incorporated, among other things, the requirements of the owners of the affected land, the company České přístavy or requirements for changing the dimensions and disposition of the load-bearing elements. Some parts of the bridge and the areas under the bridge have now acquired a new shape, the study also included the design of connected paved areas.