The state has selected the design of the bridge over the Vltava River on the Prague ring road in Suchdol

Prague - The bridge over the Vltava River on the planned section of the Prague Ring Road between Suchdol and Březiněves in the northern part of the metropolis will be designed by a consortium of architectural firms Stráský, Hustý & Partners and Studio acht. The central commission of the Ministry of Transportation approved the selection of the final design from five proposals that emerged from the architectural competition. CTK was informed today in a press release by the ministry spokesperson František Jemelka. The Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) is also looking for the design of another bridge on the ring road over the Drahanské Valley in the competition.

The architectural competition for the bridge in Suchdol was announced by the ŘSD in 2023, and last year the jury selected five winning designs. After expert evaluation and based on the obtained materials, the ministry commission received two of them, from which it chose the winner. The estimated cost of constructing the bridge is 3.5 billion crowns; the final price will come from the tender.

The selection was also supported by Minister of Transportation Ivan Bednárik (for SPD). "The chosen variant represents, in addition to undeniable architectural value, the least impact on the surroundings, which was an important argument in the commission’s decision-making," he stated.

While the chosen design will result in a more expensive construction according to the ministry spokesperson, maintenance will cost less than the second option from Valbek, making the overall costs over the entire life cycle of the bridge almost comparable. "The selected variant will now be further developed in more detail by ŘSD in accordance with the requirements for obtaining construction permit," Jemelka stated.

The bridge will connect the left bank of the Vltava in Sedlec with the right bank of the river, and its planned length is 606 meters. It will have four lanes, and tunnels will connect to it from both sides. Last year, the ŘSD also announced a competition for another bridge on the ring road over the Drahanské Valley. The estimated construction costs for it are 1.28 billion crowns.

The construction of the Prague Ring Road is divided into 11 sections, and seven of them have been put into operation so far. The under-construction section between Běchovice and D1 in the southeast of the metropolis is still missing, along with three sections in the northern part between Ruzyně, Suchdol, Březiněves, and Satalice. The start of work on the section between Satalice and Běchovice is closest, but it will not begin until the end of next year at the earliest, as the court recently annulled the legal validity of the zoning decision that the ŘSD obtained for construction last spring. The ring road last expanded for drivers in 2010 when the section from D1 to D5 was opened. The first section opened about 40 years ago - on September 20, 1983.