The reconstruction of Riga’s Vanšu Bridge could be postponed by three to six months, from the fourth quarter of 2027 to mid-2028, unless effective traffic management solutions are developed and implemented, Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs of the Progressives said on Tuesday during a discussion organised by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
The mayor explained that several solutions are currently being assessed simultaneously, including redesigning intersections to increase traffic capacity and constructing a temporary bridge to partially alleviate congestion during the reconstruction.
“If we see that certain preparations cannot be completed by the deadline, we will postpone the start of the repair works,” Kleinbergs said.
Kristaps Kauliņš, Director of Riga City Council’s Department of Outdoor Space and Mobility, said the current plan envisages reconstruction beginning in late 2027 and continuing until 2030.
The first two stages are not expected to involve significant traffic restrictions, as they will focus on reconstructing the Daugava river embankment and Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street.
During the third stage, when the bridge itself undergoes major repairs, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Exceptions will apply during the replacement of the bridge’s suspension cables, which is planned for nights and weekends.
Kauliņš explained that there are 20 signal-controlled intersections around Vanšu Bridge. The municipality is examining ways to increase their capacity and redirect traffic away from the bridge.
Possible measures include additional traffic lanes, redesigned turning arrangements and adjustments to traffic light timings.
Kauliņš also said that the start of the bridge’s main reconstruction works could be postponed until the second quarter of 2028 without significant difficulties.
The overall project has been divided into three separate construction projects, each with its own building permit, allowing the stages to begin independently.
Mārtiņš Lazdovskis, Chairman of the Board of Latvian State Roads (LVC), explained that the government has begun replenishing its strategic material reserves and has signed a contract to purchase temporary bridge structures, as the existing bridges in state reserves have reached the end of their service life.
Two years ago, LVC launched the procurement of modern bridge spans and signed an agreement with an Austrian company to purchase single-lane bridge sections measuring 45 metres in length and capable of supporting loads of 100 tonnes.
Initially, deliveries were scheduled to take place gradually until 2029.
However, Lazdovskis explained that if the government decides to bring forward the funding allocated for 2028 and 2029 to 2027, the Austrian manufacturer could produce and deliver the required bridge components within eight months.
“At the same time, we must remember that these are only Lego blocks from which the bridge is assembled. Temporary supports or pontoons are also needed, along with access roads,” Lazdovskis said.
Guntars Vītols of the United List, an adviser to Finance Minister Māris Kučinskis, stressed that funding for the temporary bridge could be found because the economic losses caused by severe congestion should be avoided.
However, the Ministry of Finance is concerned that planning for the temporary bridge may have started too late.
Vītols added that a political decision is needed to simplify procurement and design procedures.
Guntis Āboltiņš-Āboliņš, Chairman of the LCCI Construction and Real Estate Development Committee, recalled that a temporary bridge design originally developed for Rail Baltica is already available.
He suggested that a temporary bridge could therefore become operational within a year.
“It is urgently necessary to examine the riverbed, determine what should be installed where, and establish which supports are required,” Āboltiņš-Āboliņš said.
Riga Deputy Mayor Māris Sprindžuks of the United List argued that approximately 80% of the solution would depend on reorganising traffic.
In his view, the priority is to avoid delays in launching accelerated design-and-build procurements for intersections that would allow traffic flows to be redirected.
Sprindžuks believes a temporary bridge could realistically be installed in 2028, but traffic arrangements must be redesigned before then.
Kauliņš explained that Riga City Council favours placing the temporary bridge alongside Vanšu Bridge on the Old Riga side.
Under this option, vehicles on the left bank would access the temporary bridge via the existing Ķīpsala exit near the Saules akmens office building.
On the right bank, a temporary intersection would need to be constructed connecting the bridge to 13. novembra krastmala.
However, LCCI representatives, including road engineer and entrepreneur Jānis Vasaraudzis, argued that the temporary bridge should connect to Muitas Street, on the side of Riga Passenger Port.
Kauliņš said the final decision would be made by engineers and designers.
He pointed out that the Daugava riverbank near the port is privately owned and that the river is considerably deeper there than on the Old Riga side.
Kleinbergs added that both fixed-support and pontoon-based bridge solutions remain under consideration.
Dace Zīle, a researcher at the University of Latvia’s LV PEAK research institute, said Vanšu Bridge is crossed daily by between 55,000 and 60,000 vehicles.
In addition, 759 Riga public transport services cross the bridge each day, carrying approximately 20,000 passengers.
According to LV PEAK research, if daily travel times increased by 30 minutes, the resulting losses would amount to 1.2 million person-hours per month, equivalent to 12.5 million euros.
The additional congestion would also generate 222.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Zīle explained that the economic impact of an additional 30 minutes of congestion on Vanšu Bridge would correspond to 23.3% of Latvia’s gross domestic product generated during a 30-minute period.
LETA previously reported that the most significant reconstruction works on Vanšu Bridge were scheduled to begin in 2027.
To manage traffic during the reconstruction, Riga City Council has proposed installing a temporary bridge.
Earlier plans envisaged one traffic lane in each direction, with construction costs estimated at approximately 20 million euros.
Officials have previously suggested that such a bridge could also serve national civil and military purposes, rather than being used exclusively by the municipality.
However, there has been no definitive agreement on how the temporary bridge would be provided.
The mayor previously promised to discuss potential cost-sharing arrangements with the finance minister and prime minister.
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List described the proposal for a temporary bridge during the reconstruction as an “outside-the-box” idea.
However, he stressed that state participation in financing the project would depend on several factors.
“It is good that solutions are being considered from a national perspective,” Kulbergs said.
He acknowledged that, at first glance, the possibility of reusing the temporary bridge elsewhere in the future appeared reasonable, provided it was technically feasible.
The tender for the reconstruction of Vanšu Bridge was won by the Vanšu tilts consortium, which offered to complete the works for 69.8 million euros excluding value-added tax.
The consortium comprises Hanza Construction Group, Tilts and Baltijas mākslīgo būvju projektēšanas birojs Vektors T.
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 has a total length of 593.6 metres, while its main pylon reaches a height of 108.7 metres.
The project includes resurfacing the roadway and creating separate pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
The pedestrian pavements will measure 1.7 metres wide on one side of the bridge and 1.9 metres on the other.
The bridge railings will be restored to their original height of 1.3 metres.
The reconstruction will also include replacing the suspension cables, which will have a combined weight of 385.5 tonnes.
New protective coverings will be installed along 3,084 metres of existing and replacement cables to ensure long-term durability and protection against environmental conditions.
The reconstruction will be carried out using the design-and-build approach, under which a single contractor is responsible for both preparing the construction design and completing the works.
This approach is intended to ensure consistent planning, coordination and accountability throughout the contract.