NEW SKI BRIDGE OVER THE ELBE RIVER IS SETTLED
Yesterday, in the P1 parking lot near the Elbe Dam in Špindlerův Mlýn, the largest crane in Czechia installed two steel support structures for a new ski bridge over the Elbe River.
The structure has a total length of 69.8 meters and a width of 15.35 meters, weighing approximately 160 tons. The installation of this supporting structure represents a major milestone in the extensive project to connect the Svatý Petr and Medvědín ski resorts, an investment project with a total cost of billions of crowns that will transform the appearance and functionality of the Špindlerův Mlýn resort.
The bridge consists of steel truss girders with a span of 51 meters, coupled with a reinforced concrete slab. The structure was designed to withstand the demands of seasonal and year-round operation: it is dimensioned for snow loads, skiers and snow groomers, and in the summer it will also allow 25-ton trucks to cross.
The installation itself went smoothly and without complications. The next stage of construction work will be the laying and anchoring of trapezoidal corrugated sheets, which will form a separate layer of the substructure. After they have been secured and checked for tightness and joints, the reinforced concrete slab is scheduled to be poured — this phase is scheduled for November 20.
After the completion of the bridge over the Elbe this year, construction of a heated six-seater cable car with a protective bubble will begin next spring, which will run from the P1 car park to Hromovka. This chairlift will be 1,415 meters long, equipped with 57 seats, and will have a transport capacity of approximately 2,000 people per hour. The upper station will be located at the upper station of the existing Hromovka chairlift. The ski resort expects to put the new chairlift into operation in December 2026.
The construction of the six-seater cable car and bridge crossing represents the first significant phase of the overall connection of the resorts. The next phases of the project include the completion of the ski slope from Medvědín and the construction of a second ski bridge over the access road to the resort. This will be followed by the construction of a gondola lift leading to Medvědín: the ten-seater gondola lift with 30 cabins will be 1,523 meters long and have a transport capacity of 1,710 people per hour. The upper station of this gondola lift will be located at the lower station of the Medvědín ski lift, roughly halfway up the Medvědín slope. In order to protect the most valuable quiet areas, it is not possible to extend the gondola lift to the very top of Medvědín.
The connection between the Svatý Petr and Medvědín resorts is one of the greatest milestones in the modern history of Špindlerův Mlýn. In practice, it will mean an end to the current inconvenient and often problematic transfers between the two centers, which burden the city's transport network, create safety risks, and reduce visitor comfort. The connection between the resorts will bring a significant improvement in mobility and fluidity of movement for skiers and tourists alike, and will raise the overall skiing experience to the level of top European resorts.
The center of the entire connection will be the area of the existing P1 parking lot, which will be converted into a ski terminal. This will be the end point of the ski slopes and the shared lower station of the new cable cars. The ski slopes will end 1.5 meters above the level of the existing P1 parking lot, which will allow for a smooth connection to the terrain and a safe landing for skiers at the end of the slopes. The shared lower station will house the control rooms for both cable cars, facilities for operators and employees, cable car substations, a transformer station, and a depot for the gondola lift. These centralized facilities will increase operational efficiency and the ability to respond quickly to service or safety incidents.
Source: Špindlerův Mlýn Ski Resort
