The Vilnius Municipality is starting the reconstruction of the Kazbej Bridge over the Vokė River. Repairs are expected to take until early next year to reopen to car, bicycle and pedestrian traffic, which has been restricted since 2018 due to the bridge's emergency condition.
During the repair, it is planned to replace the structural elements of the Kazbeyi Bridge - the steel riveted overlay, consisting of transverse, longitudinal and diagonal beams, the metal beam of the carriageway, and the overlay. The ribbed arch truss (supporting structure) will also be restored. From a heritage point of view, the valuable properties of the building will be preserved.
After the repair, two-way traffic will be possible on the Kazbej Bridge, with traffic priority for those coming from VA Graičiūnas Street, the weight of vehicles will be limited to 5 tons, and the height - up to 3 meters.
The bridge is being repaired by the company "YIT Lithuania". Repair works will cost about 1,124 million. Eur. The works are financed Vilnius city municipalities at the expense of the budget and the Road Maintenance and Development Program.
The 36 m long bridge over the Vokė River was built at the end of the interwar period, in the 4s of the last century. After the Second World War, it was repaired, but its appearance did not change - the structure still consists of a wooden carriageway, monolithic embankment supports and two steel riveted spatial beams. Over time, the Kazbeyi Bridge was severely affected by corrosion, part of the metal structures crumbled, the bridge lost its durability, so in 2018 it was decided to ban traffic on it for the sake of people's safety. In 2018, the bridge was also registered in the Register of Cultural Values as an individual object of cultural heritage.
The old bridge structures have been preserved at the initiative of the Panerai community. Due to extremely high wear and tear, it was initially planned to demolish the old bridge and install a new one in its place, but after consultation with the community, it was decided to repair the current one.
Due to the reconstruction of the bridge, a temporary pedestrian bridge and path will be installed.
It is also planned to repair the road to the Kazbej Bridge - the Old Gardin highway from VA Graičiūnos St. to Kazbej Bridge and Kazbej Street.
