Compact archive May 23, 2006

Improving of Czech traffic network is at a best way. Although ecologist or residents protest or discuss about some parts of lines highway traces in Czech, many places are in hands of builders and workers.

Prague outer circuit will have a new building site inaugurated this Thursday. It will be a part of circuit between highways to Pilsen and to Brno. Road and Highway Directorate has all required licences and the building will start immediately.

Six kilometers long section will be between Slivenec and Lahovice and it will have 1,6 kilometers long tunnel, 460 meters long bridge and two kilometers long scaffold bridge. Total cost of this section is 8,9 milliards CZK.

Other part of the section between Pilsen and Brno highways is 8.5 km long and expected cost is 5,9 milliards CZK. Work on this part could begin during this year. Whole section should be ready in year 2009.

Now it is build 18 kilometers of total length 85 kilometers of Prague Outer Circuit.

Charles Bridge needs to be repaired. Even a surface of the bridge may look well, there is damage inside of it. The water runs into the bridge and slowly destroys it.

The repair starts in autumn and will take two years, after the end of tourist season. A cost is expected about 250 millions CZK. The repair will be favour for tourists: only a part of one bridge side will be repaired at same time, so there will be four meters wide way for tourists.

Charles Bridge endured hundreds of years and even cannon balls of Sweden during Thirty Years War. General repair in sixties of the 20th century has some wrong procedures and therefore hydro isolation is now appearing as a problem. Road salting was a great helper in destroying of the bridge.

Building site will be at Vltava river and building material will be transported by ships. There is problem with the new material, because it has to be found same stone, that was used in time of Charles IV., when the bridge was built. Original mines for sandstones are closed or empty and the stone has to have same characteristics.

Some protection work has to be made on eighth and ninth bridge pillar and stone side rail needs to be moved to proper position at one place. Rusted paving stones will be the last part of the repairs. Gas lamps will return back to Charles Bridge during this repair.