| Gazela Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Gazela Газела |
| Design | Milan Đurić |
| Total length | 332 m |
| Width | 27.5 m |
| Construction begin | 1966 |
| Construction end | 1970 |
| Daily traffic | More than 160 000 vehicles per day |
Gazela (Serbian Cyrillic: Газела, meaning gazelle) is the most important bridge in Belgrade, Serbia, across the Sava river. It is a part of the city highway and it lies on European route E75, on the highway passing through the wider city center, connecting Belgrade with Niš to the south, and Novi Sad to the north. It was designed by a group of engineers led by Milan Đurić and built in 1966-1970, by Belgrade company Mostogradnja.
The bridge is 332 m long and 27.5 m wide, with three lanes in each direction, and total road width of 21.8 m. It is constructed as a combination of beam and arch, with shallow-frame beam and diagonal steel-concrete abutments. The maximum height of the span centre is 22.8 m at median water level. The bridge is the chief connection line between city center and New Belgrade, and also carries the transit traffic on E70 and E75 highways through Belgrade. As such, it is extremely overloaded and a cause of frequent congestion, as it leans on the main Belgrade's Mostar interchange. On average over 160,000 vehicles cross it every day (notwithstanding the impeded flow), even though it was designed to be used by 40,000. However, the bridge was almost completely redone in 2011 and it now supports up to 200,000 vehicles per day. Additional relief is expected when the Belgrade bypass is completed, which is currently under construction and is scheduled to be opened in 2013. There was also a significant relief when the new Ada Bridge was opened for traffic, on January 1st 2012 at midnight.