Gdańsk. Siennicki Bridge closed. Until when? Communication

Due to the deteriorating technical condition, the Siennicki Bridge will be closed to tram traffic on Friday (January 10) around 8 p.m., and two hours later drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will no longer be able to use it.

The Siennicki Bridge is located over the Martwa Wisła and – next to the cable-stayed bridge – is the only road used by residents of Gdańsk districts, including: Stogów and Przeróbki, they can get to the city center and back.

Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz said on Wednesday at a press conference that closing the crossing is necessary for the safety of the inhabitants of Gdańsk.

– This information is disastrous, I can't imagine, with the current traffic intensity on the cable-stayed bridge, of course, trucks, traffic jams, accidents, anything, that residents would be able to get to work or school in some real time – one of the residents told TVN24.

– It has been said for many years that this bridge needs to be renovated, but no one cared about it – adds another.

Przemysław Majewski, councilor of the City of Gdańsk, told TVN24 after Wednesday's press conference that such a situation occurred due to “protracted procedures”. – As of 2021, after the designer has been selected, there is no contractor yet, unfortunately this is on the account of the current authorities. Today, we need to focus on preparing temporary solutions as quickly as possible. A pontoon bridge, a footbridge – it should have been zoribone yesterday, he said.

Aleksandra Dulkiewicz announced on Wednesday that in mid-December last year, the city authorities received information that “the condition of the bridge abutments is deteriorating and they are subsiding at a much faster rate than before.” She explained that over 20 years, the Siennicki Bridge has moved by about 4-5 cm, but in recent months the movement has been much faster.

She assured that the condition of the bridge is regularly monitored by scientists and specialists from the Gdańsk University of Technology.

The president added that the project of rebuilding the Siennicki Bridge is in its final phase.

– We hope that we will also be able to obtain the necessary arrangements by the end of the first quarter. We also want to start the tender procedure by the end of the first quarter to select a contractor for the reconstruction of the bridge, Dulkiewicz said.

Dulkiewicz informed that she was in contact with the army and plans were to open a footbridge under the Siennicki Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. – Unfortunately, as of today I have no information on when exactly this footbridge will be built – she added.

The cost of renovating the Siennicki Bridge will amount to approximately PLN 30 million. Vice-President of Gdańsk, Piotr Grzelak, announced that at the next January session of the Gdańsk City Council, a resolution will be adopted that will secure funds for the reconstruction.

As he explained, the bridge is not only a transport facility, utilities also run under it.

– The most important element of this infrastructure is the GPEC heat pipeline. In the first phase, which we will start next week, we will install a heat pipeline and this will involve two technical breaks lasting 24 hours, he said. He assured that breaks would be adapted to weather conditions. It is possible that the first 24-hour break will take place between January 13 and 17.

He also added that the supply of cold water and sewage collection are not at risk because there are several waterworks running to Stogi and Przeróbka, which will be in constant operation.

According to city authorities, the bridge will reopen in the summer of 2027. During the shutdown, changes will be introduced to public transport. There will be no trams to Stogi and Przeróbka. Replacement bus transport will be launched in their place.

The discussion about the Siennicki Bridge and its shutdown has been ongoing for several days on local websites and social media.

It started with an entry by the Gdańsk Agglomeration Development Forum Association, which informed that a variant of terminating tram routes before entering the Siennicki Bridge had been introduced in the publicly available Gdańsk database.

The press office of the Gdańsk city hall, in response to PAP's questions regarding the possible closure of the bridge, assured that “the situation related to the Siennicki Bridge is under control.” It was also reported that “taking care of the well-being and safety of the residents of Przeróbka and Stogi, all services are working on the best communication solutions.”

In the following days, the city press office and the mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, informed that a meeting had been scheduled with the inhabitants of the districts to which the bridge leads.

The Mayor of Gdańsk, responding to the comments on social media, wrote, among other things, that “the decision on the tender for the comprehensive renovation of the Siennicki Bridge was made in May 2021, and the procedure for selecting the project contractor was announced in September.” Further in the post, she wrote that in October 2021, the Pomeranian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, Igor Strzok (he ceased to hold the position in 2023 – PAP), entered two abutments and two pillars of the bridge into the Provincial Register of Monuments, which – as Dulkiewicz reported – “significantly complicated the procedure design”.

In her opinion, “the lack of further action on the part of the conservator made it impossible to obtain the necessary arrangements.”

Igor Strzok commented on this, writing on social media that the process of destruction of some elements of the Siennicki Bridge, specifically the abutments, began with ill-considered reconstruction in 1984-89 and deepened “by closing our eyes” to signals about the structure's displacement in 2004, 2015, 2019.

“The preserved historical elements of the bridge qualified, according to the law, for entry into the register of monuments. This entry was never, as far as I know, challenged by the city,” wrote the former PWKZ.

The Siennicki Bridge was put into operation in 1912. At the time of its opening, it was the largest drawbridge crossing on the Baltic Sea. During World War II, the bridge was seriously damaged. The following areas were destroyed, among others: operator turrets. In 1947 it was rebuilt as a permanent bridge. Due to its poor technical condition, in the late 1980s the facility was demolished and rebuilt, according to the design of Maksymilian Wolff.

For many decades, until the opening of the tunnel under Martwa Wisła, the Siennicki Bridge was the only road and tram connection between Port Island and the rest of the city.

The facility was renovated in 2015. During the work, its structure was strengthened and the surface was replaced.

In June 2020, due to problems with the foundations of the abutments dating back to the early 20th century, a speed limit of 30 km/h was introduced. and a ban on the passage of vehicles weighing more than 10 tons.

A year later, the Directorate for the Development of the City of Gdańsk (DRMG) signed an agreement to develop design documentation for the bridge. The contract was withdrawn in November 2023. DRMG Director Krzysztof Małkowski said on Wednesday that it was due to “a number of difficulties related to agreeing on the scope of the bridge reconstruction” – This resulted in us withdrawing from the contract for reasons attributable to contractor, but also somewhat independent of him – he said.