Pedestrian bridge between Prague's Holešovice and Karlín districts to be functional by 2022

Construction on HolKa, the pedestrian footbridge connecting Prague districts Holešovice and Karlín, should begin soon, according to Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib and Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr.

A winning design for the bridge (by Marek Blank and Petr Tej) has already been chosen, and a tender is about to be launched for its construction.

The bridge should be ready for pedestrians and cyclists to cross by the end of 2022, says Scheinherr.

"Prague bridges will soon get a new sibling and it will be HolKa!" Scheinherr writes on Facebook.

"We will build a new bridge between Holešovice and Karlín with a ramp to the island of Štvanice. If everything goes according to plan, at the end of 2022 we will be able to walk or cycle over it."

Located just a few hundred meters from each other across the Vltava river in the districts of Prague 7 and 8, there's currently no quick way for pedestrians to travel between the increasingly-popular neighborhoods of Holešovice and Karlín.

Two large bridges - Hlávkův most and Libeňský most - are located at the outskirts of both districts, but make for a long walk for pedestrians looking to quickly travel from the center of either.

The new HolKa bridge will be constructed at the center of both districts, and run from Rohanský ostrov in Karlín to Pražská tržnice in Holešovice.

Currently, there's a ferry boat at the location (during warmer months) that takes passengers between the two districts and operates under Prague's public transportation system.

A ramp from the middle of HolKa will let pedestrians and cyclists travel to Štvanice island, which is currently undergoing extensive renovations. 

"HolKa will be built from concrete with a white marble surface," says Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib.

"The footbridge is designed so that it does not protrude above the landscape, but that it is in harmony with it and does not disturb the panorama of Prague. Therefore, it is simple in shape, winds easily through the landscape and does not go too high."