Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge

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Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge
Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge
Carries two lanes of road and railway traffic, pedestrians
Crosses Danube
Locale between Giurgiu, Romania and Rousse, Bulgaria, at river kilometre 488.70
Design truss bridge
Total length 2,800 m
Clearance below 30 m
Opening date 20 June 1954
Coordinates 43°53′22″N, 26°0′19″E

The Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge (Bulgarian: Мост на дружбата, Most na druzhbata or more commonly Дунав мост, Dunav most; Romanian: Podul prieteniei) is a steel truss bridge over the Danube River connecting the Bulgarian south bank to the Romanian north bank and the cities of Rousse (Ruse) and Giurgiu respectively.

Opened on 20 June 1954 and designed by V. Andreev, the bridge is 2.80 km long and is the only bridge over the Danube in the section shared by Bulgaria and Romania as of 2006, with the other traffic being served by ferries. It has two decks, one for road (two lanes) and one for railway traffic, as well as sidewalks for pedestrians, and was constructed for two and a half years with the aid of the Soviet Union. The Giurgiu-Rousse Friendship Bridge also has border control stations due to it serving as a border crossing between the two countries. Since 1 Jan 2007 there is no more customs control and the passport/identity card control is done "on one desk" by Bulgarian or Romanian border police, because it is an internal border for the European Union. Border control will be completely removed when Bulgaria and Romania implement the Schengen Agreement which is expected to happen in 2009. There are a pair of rectangular towers supported by pillars on both ends.

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