Second phase of repairs to Barrandov Bridge to begin this spring

The second stage of renovations on Prague’s Barrandov Bridge (Barrandovský most) will start in the middle of May. Traffic will be restricted to three temporary lanes in each direction.

Two lanes in the southern half of the bridge and the ramp leading from K Barrandovu Street to the bridge will be repaired. The renovation project, which began last May, will have four phases in total and should last until 2025.

Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, responsible for transportation, said in a press release that the second phase of the “repair of the century” will have the biggest impact on traffic due to the ramp closure. He appealed to people who don’t have to use the bridge to avoid the area. Experience from the first phase of repairs is being applied to the planning of the second phase, he added.

People who must use the bridge are asked to try to travel at non-peak times. If drivers want a smooth ride to work every day, they should definitely use one of the smart mobile apps that use direct traffic data to show an optimal route. A number of variants are offered, probably the most popular being the Waze app, navigation from Google, or Mapy.cz.

Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda called for cooperation and patience of everyone who drives on the Barrandov Bridge. "I believe that it will pay off and at the end, we will have a carefully reconstructed bridge that will serve future generations," he added.

Some work that will not affect traffic is already taking place. The major impact on traffic won’t start until two lanes are closed in mid-May. Drivers who would have used the K Barrandovu Street ramp will have to take a detour. Two lanes and a ramp were also closed last year, but that ramp was less significant to traffic flow. The ramp that will be closed this year was used by 50 percent more cars.

This year, the surfaces will be milled, expansion joints will be replaced, the lower part of the supporting structure of the southern half of the bridge will be renovated, and new ledges will be built, among other work.

Under normal circumstances, Barrandov Bridge is used by about 144,000 cars per day. The bridge has not had a full renovation since it went into service in the 1980s. Upgrading and repairing the city's infrastructure remains a priority for the new City Hall administration, with work on several bridges underway or planned, as well as construction of new bridges for both cars and pedestrians.