Lielupe bridge to close at night for repairs

The Lielupe bridge on the Liepaja Highway will be closed to traffic at night for repairs to its metal structures, LSM reports, citing the Latvian State Roads agency.

The closures will run from September 14 to 18 and from September 21 to 25, between 7:50 p.m. and 5:50 a.m. Drivers should allow extra time for their journeys.

Detours will be available via the Ventspils Highway A10 and the Kalnciems to Kudra road P101; through Jelgava via the Jelgava to Kalnciems road P99 and Jelgava’s ring road; and via the Jelgava Highway A8 and the Jelgava Tuskji to Tukums road P98.

During the closures, only emergency vehicles with a gross weight of up to 3.5 tonnes will be allowed to cross the bridge.

Bus route 6752 from Kalnciems to Jelgava will be allowed to cross. The bus leaves the Standarts stop at 7:40 p.m. and arrives at Jelgava bus station at 8:35 p.m., crossing the bridge at around 7:51 p.m. Other public transport services must use the detours.

A temporary public transport stop will be established on the Kalnciems to Kudra road P101, near its junction with the A9.

Corrosion of the steel has damaged the lower chord of the bridge truss, affecting its load-bearing capacity. A truss post was also damaged in an accident, further affecting the bridge’s capacity. The damaged structures will be reinforced with new steel components. The work can only be carried out without traffic loads, requiring the bridge to be closed.

The repairs are part of resurfacing work on the Liepaja Highway between the Lielupe bridge and the junction with the P98 road. The project includes levelling milling, laying an asphalt-concrete wearing course, replacing drainage pipes and applying road markings.

Binders is carrying out the work for 1,996,855.91 euros, while BPU&IngWay is providing construction supervision.