Last May, Ardanuy Polska Sp. Z o. o. won a new public tender for the reconstruction of a footbridge located at Marymoncka Street. This time, the client is the Urban Roads Administration of Warsaw (ZDM, by its Polish initials).

Due to the very poor condition of footbridge’s steel structure, which has deteriorated through rust and corrosion, and the new holes which have appeared in the walkway, the ZDM accelerated the procedures for putting it to tender, thus attempting to avoid its closure to the population as a potential safety hazard. The planned footbridge will have a 60 metre long walkway, which will rise to more than 5 metres in height (specifically, 5.75 m over the road and tram level).

This allows high clearance vehicles to pass underneath. It will also have a free width of slightly less than 4 metres, suitable for cyclists, pedestrians and people with reduced mobility. This structure will include three access ramps to meet accessibility requirements. One of them will be located on the westernmost side, toward Przy Agorze; another, which will cross Marymoncka Street, will be located on the easternmost side right next to Bielansky Park; a third is located on the eastern side of Marymoncka but on the other side of the tram tracks.

Three stairways will be built in the same locations as the aforementioned ramps so that they cover the same points of access. The ramps will be 1 metre wide, as required by law, while the width of the stairways will be 2 metres. The footbridge will have a concrete structure with central pillars and elastic supports for the walkway, which will be made of prefabricated prestressed concrete parts. To meet the aesthetic criteria, the handrails will be made of stainless steel.

On the section crossing over the tram tracks, the barriers protecting the tracks and catenary will be raised as a safety measure. While, at first, the partial reconstruction of the footbridge using the existing foundations was considered, ultimately it was decided to completely rebuild the footbridge due to the potential problems or defects from which the foundations may suffer. R

egarding the infrastructure affected by the reconstruction of the footbridge, it should be noted that the tram catenary will be affected in that the anchors which currently attach the catenary to the footbridge will have to be replaced. This will be the first collaboration between Ardanuy Ingeniería and the Warsaw Tram company. Other infrastructural elements that will be affected include the street lighting of Marymoncka Street, some interference between the planned new foundations and the sewage network and the electrical grid in the area in question. To solve these problems, the installations will be protected through culverts and, if needed, the foundations will be protected from the erosive action of potential wet or corrosive elements through plates.