Destroyed St Anthony’s footbridge in Wroclaw to be rebuilt

The St Anthony’s footbridge was built in 1948. The wooden structure was badly damaged by a fallen tree. The damage was so extensive that it was decided to completely demolish the crossing and build the footbridge from scratch

The footbridge is located over the City Moat, next to St Anthony Street. It allows residents to walk between the boulevard running over the moat along Pawła Włodkowica Street and Podwale Street. The footbridge visible in the photos had its last major renovation in 1985. It had previously been closed due to its poor technical condition. It was closed in 2010 and reopened in August 2011

Its last closure was on 27 June 2022, when the structure was severely damaged by a branch falling to the ground. An expert report was carried out at the time, which concluded that the scale of the damage did not allow the footbridge to be repaired. The expert report indicated that the footbridge would have to be completely demolished and built from scratch

The Roads and City Maintenance Authority in Wrocław has already drawn up project documentation. The plan is to demolish the current structure and build a new one that will look the same. The footbridge is made entirely of wood. It consists of five spans, which are supported on beam girders. In total, it is 41m long and 3.2m wide

The new footbridge will be a copy of the old one. It will be made of solid hardwood, and the scope of work is agreed with the provincial conservation officer. Importantly, the existing greenery will be protected for the duration of our activities, mainly trees, their roots and trunks. We are carrying out this work in cooperation with the Board of Urban Greenery. We are making every effort to ensure that the new footbridge will be ready later this year,” says Tomasz Jankowski, spokesperson of ZDiUM for wroclaw.pl

The restoration will be overseen by a conservationist. Although residents will gain a completely new structure, it is intended to look like the original crossing. The conservationist’s office stresses that its reconstruction is necessary because it is an example of “a testimony to history in its full material dimension, together with its structure, construction technique and surroundings forming the cultural landscape, as well as an intangible message”

In total, the reconstruction of the footbridge will cost PLN 2.5 million. The work will be carried out by the Plus Inwest P. Żygadło company

source: ZDiUM Wrocław

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