Latvia to buy modular bridge sets for Vanšu Bridge reconstruction

Latvia’s government has approved the purchase of additional modular bridge sets that could help maintain traffic during reconstruction of Vanšu Bridge, which crosses the Daugava River, LSM reported.

The government agreed on Tuesday to acquire about 12 sets, each with a 45-metre span, without applying the Public Procurement Law. Delivery is planned for 2027 under a contract signed in 2025 with Austrian company Waagner-Biro Bridge Systems AG.

The structures will be added to the state’s material reserves and could also be used if floods, accidents, military threats or other emergencies damage permanent bridges and interrupt traffic. The state plans to lend the structures to Riga municipality free of charge for a temporary bridge during the reconstruction. The municipality would cover the costs of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling it.

The procurement is expected to require 5.98 million euros in 2027. Of that amount, 1.65 million euros is allocated in the Transport Ministry’s budget, while a further 4.335 million euros is to be reallocated from contingency funds. The plan also provides for reallocations of 1.53 million euros in 2028 and 1.65 million euros in 2029.

The draft decision would also allow Latvijas Valsts ceļi, the state roads company, and Riga municipality to bypass the procurement law in relevant purchases to speed up the acquisition and construction of the temporary bridge.

Reconstruction of Vanšu Bridge is planned to begin in autumn 2027. A contractor consortium called Vanšu tilts is due to carry out the work for nearly 70 million euros. Building a temporary bridge could cost about 20 million euros more. Mārupes municipality and businesses have raised concerns about traffic during the works.