Chain Bridge getting closed until 2020

The renovation between the Tunnel and the Chain Bridge will take 2-2.5 years, chief manager of BKK Kálmán Dabóczi stated in InfoRádió’s broadcast.

“This process is very complicated, because we need to renew a part that is vitally important for the traffic of the city”, he claimed.

He added that the construction is a little bit less problematic during the weekend, because the bridge can be shut down without any significant disruptions.

“But during the weekdays the tunnel is way too important”, the chief manager stated.

He highlighted that the traffic is growing so rapidly because of tourists that pedestrians frequently even block vehicle traffic.

“This is why we need to construct a system that provides pedestrians with other opportunities. That is why Clark Ádám Square will be smaller”, Kálmán Dabóczi mentioned.

He added that the pedestrian pass under the bridge needs to be extended in order to prevent the pedestrian traffic that disturbs vehicles.

The chief manager of BKK emphasized that these are not isolated constructions.

“The Tunnel, Clark Ádám Square, the Chain Bridge, and the parts on the side of Pest, reaching to Erzsébet Square need to be treated as one object, and we have to come up with a logical solution.

It is an important aspect, for example, that, when someone passes the Chain Bridge, one should be able to get to the wharf. The planning of these are in progress”, Dabóczi stated.

Moreover, the Chain Bridge will be renewed as a monument, as well.

The bridge suffered severe damages during the bombardments of World War II. After the war, the country was low on supplies, so the bridge was reconstructed using temporary solutions. The second renewal in the ‘70s did not help too much. Also, iht was more than 40 years ago, as Dabóczi pointed out.

“Now, we shall restore the conditions from before the war, with the original decorations, tripod candelabras, and we shall restore all the historical elements in a complex process, to make it a much more gorgeous bridge”, the chief manager claimed.

He added: the new lighting will enable the application of modern techniques with multiple color and brightness settings. This way, Chain Bridge can be decorated differently for each festival or event.

“We are planning to complete the public procurement request by the third quarter of 2017, which means that the construction will begin around 2018. The exact date still depends on the progress. After that, the renewal will take 2 to 2.5 years.”

He added: they have been discussing whether they should undertake the renewals in one take or separately. He claims that there is no point in doing it separately, because that would mean that the traffic would be disturbed for almost five years.

“The city will feel the effects. We should’t lie, we will notice it in the rush hours in the morning and in the afternoon. But solutions that will lessen the problems are under way”, the chief manager of BKK emphasized.

Ce: bm

Source: InfoRadio.hu