On Thursday, 6 March, the Sarkandaugava overpass over the railway line Riga - Skulte and the cycle and pedestrian path Mangaļi - Sarkandaugava built within its framework were officially opened. The overpass is now open to all road users.
Construction of the Sarkandaugava overpass started in April 2020. The length of the overpass without ramps is 454.4 metres. It consists of seven separate span structures in both directions and connections to Viestura prospekts and Tvaika Street.
"The Sarkandaugava overpass is part of the new Riga we are building for today and for future generations - it is Riga with more orderly and safer traffic, where cars, pedestrians and cyclists all have their place, Riga where traffic infrastructure helps build a vibrant city. Sarkandaugava overpass is one of the most ambitious new constructions of traffic infrastructure in the last decades and, together with the Eastern Motorway, this is a significant stage in the arrangement of Riga traffic flows - both the overpass itself and the constructed intersections and access roads will significantly facilitate traffic, transport movement between Vecmīlgrāvis and Riga centre will be faster, access to the port will be more convenient for cargo transport," says Vilnis Ķirsis, the Riga City Council Deputy Chairman for Traffic Infrastructure and Development.
V. Ķirsis also points out that the largest amount of money in the city's recent history is currently being invested in the renewal and development of Riga's infrastructure. Taking the projects as a whole, we are talking about several hundreds of millions of euros - a mix of significant city and state co-financing and very significant investment from EU funds.
The Acting Director of the Transport Department of the Republic of Latvia Jānis Vaivods outlines his plans for the near future in the field of transport infrastructure: "The opening of the Sarkandaugava overpass is the first piece of the jigsaw being put in place to create the new Riga. The next piece of the puzzle is the Eastern Motorway, scheduled for completion in autumn this year. Together, the two facilities will form a transit route for freight transport, which will significantly facilitate the historic city centre. In the next year and a half, it is also planned to start work on the third piece of the puzzle of the new Riga - the construction of the Kundziņsala overpass."
Kaspars Ratkevičs, the Member of the Board of the Managing Partner AS "LNK Industries” of the General Partnership "Personu apvienība OTC”, emphasises that the Sarkandaugava overpass over the Riga-Skulte railway line is one of the most important infrastructure objects implemented by the company in Riga and will significantly relieve the city centre from traffic congestion.
"A major challenge of the project was to successfully integrate the newly built overpass into the city's existing infrastructure. An additional challenge was to organise the works in such a way that railway and tram traffic would not be affected, given that the work area is crossed by both "Latvijas dzelzceļš” roads and private railways, as well as tram tracks. One of the most technically challenging works was the construction of the only railway and tramway crossing in Latvia. Some elements of this crossing were specially commissioned in the Czech Republic. The span over Viestura prospekts, held in place by a pylon with vantage points over the Riga-Skulte tracks, is noteworthy in the construction of the overpass. The structure of the overpass uses custom-made, pre-stressed reinforced concrete beams, which were concreted on site," says K. Ratkevičs.
The Mangaļi-Sarkandaugava cycle and pedestrian route was built as part of the overpass, as well as the first tunnel in Riga with shared pedestrian and cycle space. The construction of the overpass in Sarkandaugava was carried out by the General Partnership "Personu apvienība "OTC", which brings together three construction companies: SIA “Binders,” AS “LNK Industries” and "LT betons". The total construction cost of the Sarkandaugava overpass amounted to EUR 44 million.
Information was prepared by: Lelde Rudzika, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: lelde.rudzika@riga.lv
