The ongoing repair of the Barrandov Bridge will directly affect the traffic in the Blanka tunnel complex. If necessary, the Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) will operatively regulate the speed of the tunnel from the current 70 to 50 kilometers per hour. It also plans to control the speed actively on sections of the city ring road where electronic signs allow it.
The speed change should be implemented mainly during the day when traffic is at its heaviest. At the same time, the transitions should be smooth and not sudden. Traffic data will determine the exact procedure.
“During the reconstruction, we will measure the traffic and adjust the traffic management accordingly,” said Martin Pípa, deputy director of the Technical Administration of Communications (TSK). According to him, traffic is smoother and more cars pass through the tunnel when the speed is reduced.
TSK and the city administration have said in recent weeks that speeds will be adjusted on the bridge itself, with the number of lanes in each direction reduced from four to three. The speed will also be adjusted on other parts of the ring road depending on the specific traffic situation. “Wherever we can change the electronic signs, we will work with them wherever necessary,” Pipa said.
Unifying traffic volume detection
TSK is now looking for a software supplier that will be able to count traffic even at a greater distance from the Blanka tunnel. This is only possible on a limited basis for two to three intersections connected to the tunnel. The system will also be able to evaluate the relevance of the data.
“Today, many detectors provide data, but each of them works on a different principle, and it can happen that they even go against each other,” said Pípa.
On the Barrandov Bridge, road workers will start building crossings between the northern and southern structures of the bridge on Friday evening. The level crossings will be made on both edges, the so-called bridge abutments. The crossings are necessary for the start of the bridge reconstruction this year.
The first phase of work on Prague’s essential transport structure will begin on May 16 May and is scheduled to last 110 days. Up to 145,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. The repair of the entire bridge is spread over four years.