Krk Bridge
| Krčki most | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Krčki most |
| Carries | Road vehicles |
| Crosses | Krk Channel (Adriatic Sea) |
| Locale | Western Croatia |
| Maintained by | Autocesta Rijeka-Zagreb d.d. |
| Design | concrete arch bridge |
| Total length | 1430 m |
| Width | 11.40 m |
| Longest span | 390 m (416 m underwater) |
| Clearance below | 67.02 m, smaller bow 54.56 m |
| Constructed by |
Mostogradnja Hidroelektra[1] |
| Construction begin | 1976 |
| Construction end | 1980 |
| Opened | July 19, 1980[2] |
| Toll | 21–138 kunas,[3] charged only toward the island |
| Coordinates | 45°14′40″N 14°34′00″E / 45.24444°N 14.56667°ECoordinates: 45°14′40″N 14°34′00″E / 45.24444°N 14.56667°E |
Krk Bridge (Croatian: Krčki most) is a 1430 m long reinforced concrete arch bridge connecting the Croatian island of Krk to the mainland and carrying over a million vehicles per year. The longer of the bridge's two arches is the second longest concrete arch in the world and among the longest arches of any construction. The bridge was completed and opened in July 1980 and originally named Titov most ("Tito's bridge") in honor of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito, who had died two months prior.[4]
Construction
The bridge was designed by Ilija Stojadinović in cooperation with Vukan Njagulj and Bojan Možina, and built by Mostogradnja Belgrade and Hidroelektra Zagreb between 1976 and 1980. It was designed as a cantilever bridge with temporary cable-stays. Structurally, the bridge consists of two reinforced concrete arch spans, which rest on the islet of Saint Mark between Krk and the mainland. The length of the longer arch is 390 m (actually 416 m, a part of the bow is in the water), which made it the longest concrete arch at the time of construction, the distinction it held until it was surpassed by Wanxian Bridge (425 m length of arch) in 1997.[2]
Traffic
Krk Bridge connects the island's 17,860 (2001) inhabitants and its tourist resorts to Jadranska magistrala, the main-road along the Adriatic coast. It also connects the city of Rijeka to Rijeka Airport, which is situated on Krk. In the first 20 years of its existence, the bridge was crossed by 27 million vehicles, more than double of ferry traffic to and from the island. The increasing levels of traffic warrant a larger replacement bridge which is currently in planning stages.
See also
- List of arch bridges by length
- List of bridges by length
References
- ↑ Simović 2000, p. 440
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Simović 2000, p. 432
- ↑ "Krčki most". hac.hr (in Croatian). Hrvatske autoceste. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ Simović 2000, p. 436
Sources
- Simović, Veselin (2000). "Dvadeseta obljetnica mosta kopno – otok Krk" [Twentieth anniversary of the Krk – mainland bridge] (PDF). Građevinar (in Croatian): 431–442. Retrieved 27 January 2014.