Lielupe bridge on Liepāja highway to close nightly from Monday over damage
From September 14 to 25, the Lielupe river bridge on the Liepāja highway (A9) will be closed to traffic each night due to damage found in its steel structure. Drivers are advised to use detour routes.
Latvia's State Roads agency (LVC) has announced that starting Monday, September 14, the bridge over the Lielupe river on the Liepāja highway (A9), near the 24.56-kilometer mark, will be closed to traffic at night. The closures will run in two stretches — September 14–18 and September 21–25 — each night from 7:50 p.m. to 5:50 a.m.
Reason for the closure
Inspections found that steel corrosion has damaged the bridge's lower truss chord, reducing the structure's load-bearing capacity. A truss post was also damaged, reportedly from vehicle impact, further affecting the bridge's stability. Repair crews plan to reinforce the damaged sections with new steel elements, but this work can only be carried out when the bridge carries no traffic, hence the nightly closures.
Detours and public transport
During closure hours, only emergency and essential service vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes will be allowed to cross. Other drivers are advised to detour via the Ventspils highway (A10) and the Kalnciems–Kūdra road (P101), through Jelgava via the Jelgava–Kalnciems road and the Loka thoroughfare, or via the Jelgava highway (A8) and the Jelgava (Tušķi)–Tukums road.
One exception applies to bus route No. 6752 from Kalnciems to Jelgava, which will be allowed to cross the bridge around 7:51 p.m. All other public transport routes must use detours, and a temporary stop will be set up on the P101 road near its junction with the A9.
Wider resurfacing project
The bridge reinforcement is part of a broader resurfacing project covering the section from the Lielupe bridge to the junction with road P98, which includes milling, laying new asphalt concrete, rebuilding road shoulders, and repainting road markings. This stretch was last rebuilt a decade ago with EU co-financing; LVC notes that road surfaces generally need renewal every 10 to 12 years to prevent costlier repairs later.
The work, valued at nearly €2 million, is being carried out by PA "Binders," with construction supervision by PA "BPU&IngWay."
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