PORR has already completed several months of preparatory work, which will culminate in the installation of temporary traffic signs. This action will be carried out this weekend - 14 and 15 May. Then on Monday, workers will begin the first day of the reconstruction by milling the road surface. At the same time, they will start removing the original railings and guardrails, followed by the demolition of the bridge ledges. These parts of the Barrandov Bridge are already in a very poor technical condition, so their full replacement is planned. At the same time, the bridge deck of the Strakonice ramp will be completely demolished and will also be completely replaced.
During the reconstruction, the upper carriageway layer will be removed down to the supporting structure. The bridge will also receive new waterproof insulation to prevent any further leakage, which is one of the biggest defects of the current structure. Additional prestressing cables will strengthen the bridge structure. PORR personnel will also reinject the original prestressing cables and perform a full rehabilitation of the concrete structure. The structure will also receive new bridge bearings and expansion joints. Public lighting modifications and utility relocations are also planned as part of the overall reconstruction.
"The reconstruction is exceptional in several respects. Firstly, it is a major construction, the busiest bridge in the Czech Republic, over which more than 140,000 cars pass daily. The bridge cannot be closed completely, so the repair will be carried out while maintaining traffic. All parties involved have worked to keep the restrictions to a minimum. In this year's first phase, our company has committed to carry out traffic-limiting repairs in 110 days. Non-traffic-limiting work will continue until the end of the year," explains Martin Ředina, Director of Bridge Construction division at PORR a.s., which will be responsible for the repair of the Barrandov Bridge in the coming years.
According to the plan, PORR envisages a total of four construction phases (one per year starting in 2022). Traffic restriction days will be gradually reduced - in 2023 and 2024, the restrictions will last 92 days each, and in 2025, the restrictions will last 82 days. The bridge will never be completely closed to traffic; drivers will always be able to use three lanes in each direction.