Riga mayor: temporary bridge during Vanšu Bridge repairs could be placed on the sea side

Riga mayor Kleinbergs has said that a temporary bridge across the Daugava is a very realistic partial solution to traffic problems while the Vanšu Bridge is being rebuilt. According to Diena.lv, the temporary crossing could be placed on the sea side of the Vanšu Bridge. The cable-stayed bridge is one of the Daugava crossings in Riga, and its main reconstruction works are planned to begin in 2027.

Procurement of structures

The mayor again referred to a tender currently run by the state company Latvijas valsts ceļi (LVC, the Latvian State Roads) for prefabricated bridge structures. The contract LVC has signed with Austria's Waagner-Biro Bridge Systems covers new prefabricated bridge spans with a total length of 360 metres, while the Daugava is wider at this location. Kleinbergs believes the necessary structures could be manufactured by next autumn and installed before the active repair works start.

In parallel, the operation of 55 Riga intersections is being assessed, along with ways to change traffic organisation and capacity there, so that traffic at the Daugava crossings flows more smoothly during the repairs.

Costs and funding

Earlier plans envisaged a temporary bridge with one lane in each direction, costing about 20 million euros. It was previously said the bridge could also serve civil-military needs nationwide, but full clarity on how to provide such a bridge has so far been lacking. The mayor has promised to discuss a possible split of costs with the finance minister and the prime minister.

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List) told media the idea is "out of the box", but state co-financing would depend on several factors. He said it is good that national-level solutions are being considered, and that, on first impression, further use of such a bridge would not be a bad idea if feasible.

Reconstruction project

The tender for rebuilding the Vanšu Bridge was won by the supplier consortium "Vanšu tilts", offering to do the work for 69.8 million euros excluding value added tax. It includes Hanza Construction Group, Tilts and the design bureau Baltijas mākslīgo būvju projektēšanas birojs Vektors T. The repairs need up to 6.7 million euros in 2026, up to 42 million in 2027 and up to 35.76 million in 2028.

The bridge is 593.6 metres long, and its main pylon is 108.7 metres tall. The project includes restoring the carriageway asphalt, building a separated pedestrian zone and cycling infrastructure, and replacing the stay cables, with a total weight of 385.5 tonnes, as well as installing new protective sheathing over 3,084 metres.