Water Worries: Prague's Famous Charles Bridge Gets an Overhaul

The 2002 flooding of the Vltava River in Prague left the foundations of the city's historic Charles Bridge damaged severely enough to require immediate attention. The second tranche of work is about to start to repair the bridge's superstructure in order to secure its future. The repair work must be carried out carefully to minimize intervention into the bridge structure and without disturbing tourism during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The main goal is to preserve this remarkable 648-year old monument for future generations. The 16 arch stone bridge is naturally permeated by cracks that have been caused by loading and wear throughout its almost 650 years. As a board of experts from the Faculty of Natural Science of the Charles University and from the National Historical Monuments Institution examined the bridge to determine the degree of damage and to ascertain how best it could be repaired, they identified the main problem on the bridge to be its non-functioning waterproofing system, which was found to be responsible for most of the problems the structure is experiencing. Consequently, the main purpose of the repair contract will be to replace the deck waterproofing. The waterproofing contractor will be required to provide a guarantee of at least 30 years for the new system.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/10480594
• Authors:
  • Petrak, Jiri
  • Tvrznik, Vladimir
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Pagination: pp 34-35
• Serial:
  • Bridge Design & Engineering
  • Issue Number: 39
  • Publisher: Hemming Information Services
  • ISSN: 1359-7493
  • Serial URL: http://www.bridgeweb.com/Default.aspx

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arch bridges; Bridge decks; Bridge foundations; Bridge superstructures; Flood damage; Historic bridges; Historic preservation; Maintenance; Repairing; Waterproofing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Renovation
• Geographic Terms: Prague (Czech Republic)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; History; Maintenance and Preservation; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01002639
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 20 2005 2:56PM