Lielupe bridge on Liepāja highway to close nightly for repairs
From today through September 25, the Lielupe bridge on the Liepāja highway will be closed to traffic at night for repairs to corroded and accident-damaged metal structures. Drivers are advised to use detour routes and allow extra travel time.
Starting today and running through Friday, September 25, the Lielupe bridge on the Liepāja highway (A9) will be closed to traffic every night. The state road operator Latvian State Roads (LVC) announced the closure.
The bridge will be shut from 7:50 p.m. to 5:50 a.m. each night. LVC is urging drivers heading in this direction to factor in extra travel time during the works.
Detour options
Several alternative routes are available while the bridge is closed: via the Ventspils highway (A10) and the Kalnciems–Kūdra road (P101); via the Jelgava highway (A8) and the Jelgava–Tukums road (P98); or through Jelgava itself via the Jelgava–Kalnciems road (P99) and the city's Loka thoroughfare.
Why the repairs are needed
According to LVC, the bridge's metal structures have corroded over years of use, putting its load-bearing capacity at risk. In addition, a traffic accident damaged one of the bridge's truss posts, further affecting its structural strength and requiring repair. Crews will reinforce the damaged sections with new steel elements — work that can only be carried out with no traffic load on the bridge, hence the nightly full closures.
At the same time, other roadworks are underway on the stretch of the Liepāja highway between the Lielupe bridge and its junction with road P98, including leveling milling, laying a new asphalt concrete wearing course, shoulder repairs, and repainting road markings.
Cost and contractors
The repair works, costing just under two million euros including VAT, are being carried out by the company Binders, with construction supervision provided by the partnership BPU&IngWay. LVC is a state-owned company established in late 2004 that manages more than 20,000 kilometers of the national road network, including procurement and funding administration for road maintenance.
