Prague suspends reconstruction of Libeň Bridge, pushing opening to 2030s

Reconstruction work on Prague’s Libeň Bridge will be suspended and preserved after a ruling by the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) found that the city’s Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) could not continue under its original 2022 tender.

TSK Director Filip Hájek said at a City of Prague councilors' meeting Thursday afternoon that a new project and contractor selection process will push the bridge’s completion to the second half of 2032. In 2022, completion was slated to have been completed by 2025-26. Last year, this date was pushed to the late 2020s.

The decision extends an already years-long saga over one of Prague’s most important river crossings, affecting thousands of residents who rely on the bridge daily for transport between Prague 7 and Prague 8.

The setback means drivers will face ongoing detours, tram operations will remain constrained, and questions will persist over the timing and extent of future shutdowns. City officials say they will maintain the current safety supports and traffic arrangements while planning progresses.

According to Hájek, TSK must redesign the entire construction plan, including the historic 1928 bridge designed by architect Pavel Janák, before launching a fresh tender. After this multi-year process, “the completion of the project will take about 18 months, and the contractor selection about another year,” he said.

ÚOHS intervened after determining that TSK had significantly altered the scope of the project since the 2022 competition, particularly the decision to replace the historic bridge with a replica built on the original pillars. Regulators ruled that these changes constituted a new contract that required a new tendering process.

TSK originally selected Metrostav TBR as contractor two years ago. Both companies appealed the competition office’s ruling in July, but ÚOHS chairman Petr Mlsna upheld the decision in late September, forcing the city to restart the procedure.

The Libeň Bridge complex, consisting of six interconnected structures, has never undergone a full repair since its completion in 1928. Its condition became a public safety issue in 2018 when inspectors rated it at the lowest structural level, prompting a two-month closure to cars and trams until temporary supports were installed.