NPÚ will prepare a set of demands for the repair of the bridge at Výton

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) will prepare a set of requirements for the planned reconstruction of the bridge at Výton in Prague from a heritage conservation perspective. The institute's director, Naďa Goryczková, has established a working group for this purpose. Today, NPÚ spokesperson Šárka Bednářová informed ČTK in a press release. The Czech Railways (SŽ) had previously planned to replace the bridge, but following a wave of criticism, the then Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) decided last year on its reconstruction.

"The goal is to propose the requirements of heritage conservation experts for the restoration of the bridge while maintaining functional continuity and simultaneously verifying their feasibility, which will be the focus of technical experts with experience in the restoration of similar types of monuments," stated the director. The results of the group's work will be provided to SŽ as a basis for the design of the reconstruction.

The group will be led by the NPÚ's professional office in Ostrava, and the official partner is the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS, which is an advisory body of UNESCO. According to the spokesperson, the group will evaluate all available documents regarding the bridge, invite external experts, and conduct a professional inspection of the structure. "As a professional partner, we will facilitate experts and expert opinions, including consideration of requirements for safe and capacity railway operations," added ICOMOS President Martin Horáček.

The group members will include Swiss engineer and academic Andreas Taras, heritage conservationist specializing in industrial heritage and NPÚ employee Miloš Matěj, Swiss civil engineer Karl Baumann, architect Tomáš Efler, Belgian civil engineer Bernard Espio, heritage conservationist and ICOMOS member Šárka Jiroušková, NPÚ expert David Měska, and steel construction expert from ČVUT Pavel Ryjáček.

Local authorities, associations, heritage organizations, and the UNESCO committee previously opposed the plan to replace the original heritage-protected steel structure with a new one. The reconstruction was also recommended by a study assessing the impact on cultural heritage commissioned by the Ministry of Transport. In response, the then minister decided to change the plan for the new bridge, which was based on an earlier architectural competition.

According to current plans, the builders will remove the bridge and reconstruct it on the bank, temporarily replacing it with a provisional single-track structure during the repairs. According to the schedule published last year, the provisional structure is expected to replace the existing one at the turn of 2027 and 2028. The work on building a new bridge with a third track and a stop on the Výton side of the Vltava River is expected to begin at the end of 2029 and be completed by the end of 2032. By the end of this year, SŽ plans to announce a new international architectural competition for the project.

The railway bridge at Výton was opened on August 15, 1872, at that time it was single-track. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was replaced by a double-track bridge. With its historic riveted structure, it represents, according to experts, an important technical cultural monument in the Prague heritage reservation. Due to its poor condition, train operations on the bridge have been significantly limited for several years; SŽ considered it necessary to replace it due to significant corrosion.