Rehabilitation Design of a Historic Concrete Arch Bridge in Prague from the Early 20th Century

Abstract

This article presents a proposal of a method for the restoration and rehabilitation of Liben Bridge, a historic concrete vaulted arch bridge structure from the early 20th century. The bridge is appreciated as a unique structure and a remarkable example of purist architecture with cubist elements. The uniqueness of its structure is the reason it should be preserved, as opposed to the demand to demolish and replace it with a new bridge. The proposed solution would allow the preservation of the historic concrete arch bridge structure in its entirety, at the same time ensuring the required loading capacity after its restoration. This method employs a steel truss bridge structure, embedded in the space created by the extraction of the bridge backfill, between the bridge deck and the vaulted arch structure. The proposed rehabilitation method can be applied in the restoration of other historic stone or concrete arch bridges.