Riga plans temporary bridge during Vanšu Bridge reconstruction
Monday 21st September 2026 on 10:30 in
Latvia
Riga plans to install a temporary bridge to maintain traffic during the reconstruction of Vanšu Bridge, Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs said on Monday, LSM reported.
Kleinbergs said he would not allow traffic on Vanšu Bridge to be halted until the temporary bridge is in place. Major reconstruction works are scheduled to begin in 2027.
The Vanšu tilts consortium won the tender for the project, offering to carry out the work for 69.8 million euros excluding value-added tax, according to information published in the Electronic Procurement System.
The consortium consists of Hanza Construction Group, Tilts and the Baltic Artificial Structures Design Bureau Vektors T. Another bidder challenged the tender result at the Procurement Monitoring Bureau, but the bureau rejected the complaint as unfounded. Riga Municipality has signed a contract with the winning consortium for the bridge design and construction.
The reconstruction is expected to require up to 6.7 million euros in 2026, up to 42 million euros in 2027 and up to 35.76 million euros in 2028.
Vanšu Bridge is 593.6 metres long, and its main pylon is 108.7 metres high. The project includes resurfacing the roadway, creating separate pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and restoring the bridge railings to their previous height of 1.3 metres.
The planned pedestrian pavements will be 1.7 metres wide on one side of the bridge and 1.9 metres wide on the other. The bridge cables will also be replaced, with a combined weight of 385.5 tonnes. New protective casings will be installed on the existing and new cables along a total length of 3,084 metres to provide long-term durability and protection from environmental effects.
The reconstruction will use a design-and-build method, under which one contractor is responsible for both preparing the construction design and carrying out the construction work.
Riga has 145 bridges, overpasses and pedestrian tunnels. Some have reached the end of their service life, as indicated by their appearance and technical condition.