The municipality had previously given an indicative cost of €42 million for the reconstruction of the bridge. However, the only bidder has bid for twice that amount - almost €100 million. The municipality cannot afford such a sum, so it plans to terminate the tender for the reconstruction of the Vanšu Bridge without a result and announce a new tender, Olafs Pulks (New Unity), head of the Traffic and Transport Committee of Rīga City Council, told Latvian Radio.
He added that according to expert opinions, the bridge is still safe for traffic:
"You can see there, especially in the pedestrian area, that there are barriers. This is done so that, God forbid, some misfortune does not happen. But basically it can be used and it is safe. It is clear that this is temporary, and that is why the search is on for a contractor and a redevelopment project. We will continue to do so. Let us hope that the next procurement will be successful [..]."
Mr. Pulk pointed out that the bridge design is expected to take a year. This means that the reconstruction of the bridge could start in a year at best, as the procurement is still pending.
If necessary, the municipality will carry out minor repairs to the bridge before the major reconstruction, but at the moment there is no such need, said Pulks.
