Bridge may close for onlookers to watch Czech-Slovak museum move

Officials are trying to determine the best place to route spectators who hope to glimpse the move of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

An estimated 10,000 people could show up at the site beginning April 26, when the museum begins its relocation from the banks of the Cedar River at 30 16th Ave. SW.

“A lot of it is weather-driven,” said Bill Meeks, the city's traffic engineering project administrator. “If it's a beautiful day, your crowd could easily double or triple.”

Museum representatives have asked the city to close A Street SW between 15th and 16th avenues; the main strip of Czech Village on 16th Avenue SW between A and C streets; and the 16th Avenue bridge.

The city's special events committee has met with museum officials and will meet again in April.

Meeks said his initial response is to keep the 16th Avenue bridge open.

Streetscape construction may keep the intersection of 12th Avenue and Third Street SE closed, with a detour to 16th Avenue, he said.

The City Council eventually would vote on any street closures, likely at its April 12 meeting.

How many people will actually come to the site is a big unknown, said Jan Stoffer, the museum's director of education and visitor services.

The move already is attracting international attention, with media inquiries coming from the Czech Republic and elsewhere.

Stoffer said crowd estimates are based on past experiences of the mover, Jeremy Patterson Structural Movers of Washington, Iowa. According to the International Association of Structural Movers, the 1,400-ton building will be the largest museum ever moved.

The process will actually take weeks. The building will be moved April 26 and 27 to its new site and positioned next to the foundation. The museum will be secured during Czech Village's Houby Days, scheduled for May 13 to 15. The structure will be elevated to its final height May 17 before being rolled onto the new foundation and finally secured in place May 21.

The new museum should open in May 2012.

Video feeds of the site's progress can be seen at

www.ncsml.org.