Riga's Vanšu Bridge Compared to Bonn's Closed Ebert Bridge

The Ebert Bridge over the Rhine in the German city of Bonn was fully closed on 3 June, and the Latvian daily Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze presents the case as a lesson for Riga, where the Vanšu Bridge across the Daugava is worn out. The closure was decided by Autobahn GmbH, the German state body that oversees motorway infrastructure.

What happened in Bonn

The Ebert Bridge was built in 1967, and about 100,000 vehicles crossed it each day. Its poor condition was identified in 2011, but design work started only in 2022. Renovation had originally been planned for no earlier than the next decade. A modelling study at the end of 2025 estimated that a closure would cause annual economic losses of at least 170 million euros. In February trucks heavier than 7.5 tonnes were barred, and in early June a 700-metre section was closed, which meant shutting the whole bridge. The Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes of a near-total traffic collapse in Bonn and notes that Germany has 4,000 outdated bridges.

What lies ahead for Riga

Riga's Vanšu Bridge was opened in 1981. If current plans hold, work to reinforce the joints between the bridge and the embankments on both banks of the Daugava would start next year, work on the bridge itself could begin at the end of that year, and completion is planned for the turn of 2029/2030. A temporary bridge would link the two banks. The author names two conditions: that design work does not push costs to an unaffordable level, and that the bridge is not closed before construction begins.

The article also mentions the Gaisa Bridge. On 27 July the Riga city government signed a half-million-euro contract with the company Projekts 3 for reconstruction documentation and design supervision. The author notes that, unlike in Bonn, the closing date of the Vanšu Bridge should be known several months in advance.