Ķirsis explained that the overpass's construction is very specific, so it is not possible to repair it. There was an idea to create a temporary bridge, but there is a railway underneath, so because of the narrowness the bridge has to be arched to allow a train to pass underneath, but temporary bridges are not like that. At the same time, construction standards have changed and the bridge's arch would have to be even bigger, explained Ķirsis.
In addition, the bridge has the status of a cultural heritage monument, which means that its dismantling has to be coordinated with the National Heritage Office, which will determine whether any elements of the bridge should be preserved.
Ķirsis said that the reconstruction of the bridge was originally foreseen in the Rail Baltica project, so the municipality did not rush to repair it. Even now, it is still unclear what the Rail Baltica project solution will be, so it is not known whether the redesigned bridge will ultimately be valid.
"It is clear that it will not be soon, unfortunately. If we had known this in time, we would have tried to build this bridge within a year," explained Ķirsis.
In order to minimize the inconvenience to road users caused by the closure and demolition of the bridge until a new bridge is built, Riga City Council has been talking to Latvijas Dzelzceļš about opening new level crossings, for example at the Children's Hospital, and has also looked at diverting traffic, for example through Vienības Avenue or the new Kārlis Ulmanis Avenue crossing near the Spice shopping center. However, it could take 6 to 9 months to open new crossings, Ķirsis estimated.
