Building bridges

In October 2022, the City of Warsaw announced that the number of cyclists had risen by 37 pct on the previous year and by 58 pct in comparison to 2020. Other Polish cities have also noted this growing trend, prompting them to build more bike paths and bridges to give both cyclists and pedestrians a safe way to cross our rivers.

Crossing the Vistula in Kraków and Warsaw

In May 2023, a tender was announced to select the general contractor to build a bridge over the Vistula in Kraków. The bridge, which will connect the Dębniki and Podgórze districts, has been designed by the Biuro Projektowe Lewicki Łatak architectural studio. It is to have a length of 130m and a width of 14m and will also include a viewing peer. Its flowing serpentine shape is intended to blend into its natural surroundings. Even though the bridge could be completed within the next two to three years, as the construction time is estimated at 26 months, it is still not known who the general contractor will be. The plan to create the crossing had been proposed as far back as 2006, but the series of crises that followed and the changing priorities of the local authorities resulted in the project being put on hold. At the beginning of June 2023, another footbridge in Kraków was completed, this time connecting Grzegórzki with Zabłocie. But this was a project that was necessitated by the construction of a much larger project – the renovation of the E30 railway line.

On the subject of bridges over the Vistula, we should also mention some of the projects under development in Warsaw. The longest of these is to span the river from ul. Karowa to ul. Okrzei to form part of a cycling route through the Targówek, Praga, Powiśle, Śródmieście and Wola districts. At its widest point, the bridge will be 16m and it will have a length of 450m. According to Adam Grzelczak, the contract director at Budimex, the work is clearly moving forward. “For this project, the concrete supports have been completed – both in the river and on dry and. Work is currently underway on constructing the load-bearing structure between both Praga and Śródmieście. Some of the arches between the supports have been completed and a number of accompanying structures have been completed. Retaining walls have been built, electric cables have been rerouted, most of the reinforced load-bearing earthwork has been completed, and the paving work has begun,” he informs us.

These types of bridges have to be weatherproof and also capable of withstanding intensive use, particularly in hot spells when there are more cyclists and pedestrians in the city. As a result, it’s crucial to use appropriate materials during their construction that can withstand the sun and intense rain. “We will create a permanent surface with MMA resin. Durable composites will be used for the terrace, while the seating will be made of a material that can last for more than 20 years. Stainless steel, including duplex grade, which can withstand adverse weather conditions, is to be used in the more vulnerable parts of the structure,” he explains. He also mentions that over the last few years Budimex has worked on similar structures in projects of different scales. These include bridges in Lublin and Ostróda and the contractor is currently working on a similar project in Poznań.

To cross the Warta

A bridge is under construction in Poznań, connecting the city’s Radojewo district on its northern outskirts with the town of Owińska. It is being built on the site of a former ferry crossing, which ceased operations in the 1940s. The new bridge will connect three administrative districts and give cyclists and pedestrians access to the Puszcza Zielonka wooded park. while at the same time extending the Nadwarciański cycle path, the Kościołów Drewnianych path and the popular Cysterski bicycle route. This will also give cyclists more opportunities to admire the local scenery. A tower is to be built with two viewing platforms at heights of 12m and 20m. The development has come about through the local authorities of Czerwonak borough working together with the city council, the Poznań regional authorities and those of Suchy Las borough. The bridge will be over 130m in length and the investment costs are to come to PLN 27 mln. According to the general contractor, the bridge is on track to open this summer and at the moment the finishing work is underway, including the installation of the railings, the LED lighting and CCTV cameras. Adam Grzelczak of Budimex insists that pedestrian and cycle bridges have to meet the highest safety standards and constructing them often involves many challenges. “These kinds of constructions are often architecturally demanding. Their intricate and slender components, which more often than not are finely crafted, require the contractor to pay particular care when assembling them. Materials are often used that are not found in road or rail construction,” he explains.

On sea and over river

Gdańsk is another Polish city that is looking to improve its pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. In 2020 a bridge over the Radunia canal was completed, which was built with funds from the Citizens Budget. Cyclists can not only use it to get to the historic Park Ferberów for pleasant weekend outings, but can also travel every day around the Orunia and Św. Wojciech districts. Since 2017, the people of Gdańsk and visitors to the city have been able to use the 70m footbridge over the Motława and between April and October pedestrians can also use it to visit the city’s Ołowianka island.

No lack of inspiration

It should come as a surprise to no one that Denmark is among the countries that lead the way in Europe with such projects. More than 15 bicycle bridges are to be found in Copenhagen, with the most prominent being the iconic Cykelslangen or ‘Bicycle Snake’. The name reflects its sinuous construction and 220m length, which is indeed snake-like. Until recently, the record for bike bridge length was held by the Dutch city of Groningen at 800m – for a bridge built mostly from wood. However, in 2022 a bridge was constructed in Luxembourg that took the record away from the Dutch. The bicycle and footbridge between Esch-sur-Alzette and Esch-Belval altogether has a length of 1.2 km, making it the longest such construction in Europe.

According to a 2022 study by IPSOS, 18 pct of Poles now use bicycles as their main form of transport. We are far behind the Dutch at 45 pct, but due to the increasing number of facilities for cyclists (such as showers and bicycle storage rooms in office buildings as well as cycle rental points), along with people wanting to lead healthier and more environmentally-friendly lifestyles, this trend is bound to grow. After all, we are not only increasingly taking our bikes with us on holiday, but we are also riding them to work. And so, the more cycle bridge construction there is, the things easier will be for cyclists – and this will only help to further popularise this form of transport.