The Poděbrady councilors canceled the plan to make the Primátorský Island accessible

Poděbrady – Poděbrady – The Poděbrady councilors on Wednesday canceled the plan to build a footbridge across the dead arm of the Elbe River to Primátorský island, which was supposed to become another quiet zone in the city. Opponents of the plan argue that opening the island would unnecessarily disrupt a valuable biotope, and they also believe that the costs of six million crowns are disproportionately high. The city had been preparing the project for the footbridge over Skupice since 2020, with construction set to begin this year. The proposal to postpone the decision on the plan to a further meeting of the councilors did not pass, city mayor Roman Schulz (ODS) told reporters today.

The wooden footbridge, approximately 20 meters long, was intended to connect to the bike path along the Elbe, and a network of hardened paths was planned for the island. The mayor stated today that the point concerning the cancellation of the plan was not part of the agenda; the councilors received it as a so-called tabled item. The proposer noted, among other things, that accessibility would lead to pollution of the forest and water biotope, and an additional area would be created that the city would have to maintain.

According to Deputy Mayor Ladislav Langr (Volba pro Poděbrady), there are no protected animals on the island, which was also confirmed by the Central Bohemian regional office. However, he stated that the councilors' decision was also influenced by economic factors. Instead of a simple footbridge that historically existed at the site and would cost hundreds of thousands of crowns, the city would have to arrange for the construction of a significantly more expensive connection. "Which is one of those arguments that probably had the most impact," Langr added.

The city continues to prepare a suspended footbridge across the Elbe that is to connect the Polabec area with Na Vinici street. Due to the inclusion of the area in a transnational biocorridor, the city must also carry out biological surveys; the spring phase is currently ending. The compensatory measures resulting from this are to be incorporated by the designers into the documentation. "Concurrently, engineering activities will begin in May. Everything should be submitted to the building authority by the end of the summer. In similar cases, the building process usually takes three to four months, so it is possible to expect the issuance of a building permit by the end of the year," Poděbrady councilor Dušan Zezulka (ODS) stated in response to a query from the ČTK. According to him, the competition for the contractor could start at the beginning of next year.