“The Directorate of Roads and Highways has received a decision and mandate from the Ministry of Transport, the road management authority for highways, to safely demolish the flyover. We have a deadline of at most 90 days from the publication of the Ministry’s decision,” ŘSD spokesman John Rydl announced on the spot, with the deadline set for January 25. Said to end.
ŘSD has already started preparations for demolition and invited companies to submit bids. “We expect to carry out the demolition on January 10. Till then, we will prepare the necessary,” the spokesperson noted.
ŘSD expects to close the highway in both directions during the demolition, similar to what happened a few years ago when some flyovers were demolished during the modernization of the highway. “I think it will be at night, in order to complicate the lives of as few drivers as possible,” Rýdl noted.
The bridge is constructed as a prestressed reinforced concrete structure. “The problem is the tension in the rope holding the structure in place. It’s mature and in danger of not fulfilling its role. If they give way, the whole bridge is in danger of collapsing,” warned John Roedl.
According to ŘSD, in terms of work since 1979, it is not a full-length bridge. “During the last expert inspection and survey, some serious mistakes have already been made during the construction, which makes the construction very dangerous. Hence, the ministry has directed us to dispose of the bridge within 90 days,” the spokesperson said.
Both highway drivers and bridge users are at risk. “Already last year, in cooperation with the region, we banned any use of the bridge, which also applies to pedestrians and cyclists,” pointed out John Riedl.
Local residents will definitely miss the connections beyond the highway
Local residents on both sides of the highway will certainly lose their connectivity due to the demolition. This is particularly undesirable for farmers who cultivate the surrounding fields. At the same time, recently they drove over the bridge with loads of up to 20 tons.
“The bridge is missing there, it has been missing for two years. We are negotiating with the Ministry of Transport, with the region, with ŘSD, and we hope that the construction of the new bridge will be included in the investment plan of the Ministry of Transport. However, so far, we have no concrete results from those negotiations,” he said. said Hana Krejova, mayor of neighboring Kamenis, under which Řehořov falls.
According to him, the reason why the bridge was built forty years ago is still there. “The construction of the D1 removed three dirt roads that were used to manage the land and forest behind the highway,” he explained.
On the other side of the highway is the village of Věžnice. Even its mayor Bohumir Kriegsmann speaks in the same spirit. “The bridge has to be replaced somehow. It was built to replace three roads that were canceled due to the highway. If the new bridge is not built, there will be no way for people to go to those lands,” he said.
But farmers have a way out. and on the main road under the bridge and across Věžnice. “They are now destroying and polluting our municipal roads,” Griegsman fumes.
All Řehořov signed the denial petition
Municipalities have been sending their views to the concerned authorities for the past few months. They also produced a petition signed by nearly five hundred people. “In Řehořov, all citizens over the age of eighteen signed up,” pointed out Jan Ratauski, head of the settlement committee, at the beginning of June this year.
The problem is that the owner of the bridge is not fully known. According to ŘSD, it should be municipalities, including connecting field roads. On the other hand, the municipalities object that the bridge was built by the state when the highway was built, so the bridge is theirs and should be taken care of. Even the courts have yet to definitively determine sole ownership.
ŘSD offers cooperation to neighboring municipalities to build a new bridge. However, he refuses to participate financially in it. It is unimaginable for small municipalities to invest millions of crowns in a new bridge.
“The offer that ŘSD will help local municipalities by applying to the State Transport Infrastructure Fund for extraordinary funding to build a new bridge is still valid. But ŘSD cannot assume the obligations that we will take care of the construction and management of the new bridge,” said Rýdl.
The municipality is unwilling to accept such an option. “A municipality with such a small budget cannot own such an important infrastructure. This will be a viable solution for a few years when the bridge is new. But the same situation will repeat itself,” argues Hana Krejova.
According to him, the bridge will be able to serve the high-speed tunnel in future. The railway administration is thinking about this at these places in future.
