THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FOOTBRIDGE ON THE OBRENOVAČKI ROAD HAS BEGUN

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The construction of the footbridge over the Sava highway began this month, which should facilitate the crossing of pedestrians over the busy thoroughfare. It is a long, uninterrupted section of the new Obrenovac road, between Banovo brdo and Makiš, which for several kilometers does not have a pedestrian crossing and thus significantly restricts the movement of pedestrians. Residents of Čukarica have been asking for the construction of this footbridge for a long time, in order to prevent running over and moving on improvised paths, and ten years after submitting the petition, the works finally started this September. The pedestrian bridge will be covered and 40 meters long, with also covered stairs placed within the existing sidewalks. The width of the footpath is four, while the width of the stairs is 1.6 meters.

Unusually placed only 200 meters from the existing pedestrian crossing and without a direct connection to the usual routes of pedestrian movement, the position of the footbridge will significantly reduce the effectiveness of this crossing. Although the function of the building is defined as "connecting pedestrian flows within the commercial zones" on both sides of the street, the aforementioned buildings are both vehicular and pedestrian oriented towards Radnička Street, and not towards the highway. Bearing in mind that the commercial plots are fenced and impassable for pedestrians, this position did not successfully achieve access to either the commercial facilities or the residential areas in the background. On the contrary, the length of the access path has been significantly increased for a large number of future users of the footbridge, which cancels out the positive effects of its construction.

Taking a broader look at the pedestrian flows in this area, the optimal position of the footbridge would be at the end of the commercial zone, about 320 meters from the existing pedestrian crossing, which is also shown by the position of the improvised footpaths. This would adequately and efficiently meet the needs, first of all, of the residents of this region, and then of potential visitors to retail establishments. In the position where it is currently being built, the problem of access could be solved by extending the footbridge or building a pedestrian path to Radnička Street.

The construction of the footbridge should last until the end of October, but that deadline is unlikely considering that the start of the work was also delayed by a month. The total contracted value of the works is 50 million dinars without VAT, and the works are performed by RAS Inženjering.

Source: beobuild.rs