Stepanenko: Proposed Vanšu Bridge Repair Solution Does Not Resolve All Problems

Jūlija Stepaņenko, a Riga City Council member and candidate for the 15th Saeima (Latvia's parliament), said on the TV24 programme “Ziņu top” that the repair of the Vanšu Bridge over the Daugava in Riga is overdue, and that the solution now on the table does not settle all problems and raises new questions about how traffic will be organised in the capital. The issue matters because restrictions on the bridge during repairs are under discussion. Stepaņenko is listed in the source as representing SV/AJ.

Traffic and funding

In her view, one of the key questions is how traffic across the river will be maintained during the works. She considers it unacceptable to reach a situation in which movement over the bridge is significantly restricted or fully stopped without a sufficiently well-thought-out alternative.

She also points to a funding problem, saying Riga currently finds it hard to come up with the millions needed for such a large project.

Council votes

Asked how her political group's council members might vote on future decisions related to the bridge, Stepaņenko said decisions would be made after reviewing all available documentation and specific proposals. She claims that deputies from her group have so far helped halt several procurements that she regards as wasteful. On the bridge, they will first assess what the council leadership offers. She added that her group has nominated its representative to the special council committee dealing with Vanšu Bridge matters.

Criticism of council leadership

Stepaņenko is convinced that the works could technically be organised so that the bridge need not be closed completely, and she disagrees that the option currently discussed is the only possible one. At the same time, she is highly critical of the present council leadership's ability to deliver: in her assessment, the reconstruction is too large and complex for it to complete successfully.

She believes the matter is no longer only about construction. It also concerns traffic organisation, funding and procurement, and whether Riga can carry out one of its largest infrastructure projects while disrupting everyday movement in the city as little as possible.