Experts suggest Vyšehrad Bridge can be preserved with minimum railway disruption
The future of Prague’s historic Vyšehrad Railway Bridge hangs in the balance as debates continue over whether to restore or demolish the landmark structure. A team of international experts has now put forward a study indicating that the iconic bridge could be repaired in just four years, with minimal impact on rail traffic.
According to the study, presented on Thursday by the Foundation for the Rescue of the Vyšehrad Bridge, only 15 percent of the bridge’s steel would need to be replaced. Even with the proposed addition of a third track, modifications to the surrounding area, and a new stop at Vyšehrad, the total cost is estimated at around CZK 2.5 billion.
Aside from the speed and cost-effectiveness of preserving the existing bridge, there are additional benefits to keeping the original structure, explains Ian Firth, one of the project’s experts and a veteran in bridge restoration, including on the famous Tower Bridge in London.
“I think it's without question that it's the right solution on so many levels. We could speak about the heritage value and the fact that it has a very significant value to the city of Prague, the Czech Republic and indeed wider than that.
“And then there’s another level, which is simply, why waste something which is perfectly good? In the modern world where we are needing to preserve materials and not start building new things, saving carbon and all of the things that we have to do on a sustainability level, keeping old bridges alive is the right way to go.”
The team of experts became involved in the efforts to preserve the Vyšehrad Bridge in 2019. They started by assessing the state of the riveted steel structure, built in 1872 and rebuilt in 1901. What they discovered is that only a small portion of the steel—around 15 percent—would need replacement, says Swiss structural engineer Andreas Galmarini:
“Our assessment is that the steel structure is not in such a bad shape, so we can do with very little intervention. Clearly the main challenge is to have a good corrosion protection. So to take it away, and apply a very good durable corrosion protection, will be very important for the longevity of the structure.”
“Luckily, we have also some international projects that we can measure up against, and we see that we can do this repair with proven technology, and it is an absolutely standard refurbishment case on an international level.”
Mr. Firth highlights that one of the key strengths of the proposal is its plan to minimize interruptions to railway services.
“On any railway project, and I have done several, the key factor is to minimize disruption to the railway. It is actually very difficult to put a cost to the disruption when you have to close the railway. It presents massive disruption for people, for industry, for commerce, when trains have to stop or go another way. And so we always work on the basis of minimizing the disruption.”
For the Vyšehrad Bridge, this approach would involve interrupting rail traffic only briefly to remove one span and install a temporary replacement, allowing trains to resume quickly:
“We are quite used to working in the railways where we do something overnight. You close the railway at 9 o’clock in the evening and we open it again at 5 o’clock the following morning. That is absolutely normal, but can’t quite do that here. It will take a little bit longer than eight hours to do each operation.
“But if you are going to build a new bridge, particularly a new bridge which is heavier, not only are we replacing or would have to replace the entire superstructure, but you would also have to replace the piers in the river and put new foundations in the river. This needs months, possibly many years, of closure for the railway.”
The study also includes contributions from Petr Tej, a designer known for his award-winning footbridge across the Vltava River in Prague. He has developed a streamlined, narrow platform design for the third track, which could be added alongside the bridge if necessary.
At the moment, the City of Prague favours replacing the Vyšehrad Bridge entirely, relocating the original listed structure to a new site where it could serve as a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists.
