Maslenica Bridge

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Coordinates: 44 ° 13 ′ 29 ″  N , 15 ° 31 ′ 52 ″  E

Maslenica Bridge
Maslenica Bridge
The newly built Maslenica Bridge for regional traffic
Official name Most Maslenica or Maslenički most
use Motor vehicles
Convicted Maslenica Strait
place Maslenica
construction Steel bridge
overall length 315.3 m
width 10.5 m, two lanes
Clear height 55 m
building-costs 59.8 million kuna
start of building 2004
opening June 17, 2005
planner Vojislav Draganić and Stjepan Štorga
Execution: Đuro Đaković Montaža , Zagorje Tehnobeton
toll free crossing
location
Maslenica Bridge (Croatia)
Maslenica Bridge

The Maslenica Bridge [ masˈlɛnitsa ] (Croatian Most Maslenica or Maslenički most ) is located in Croatia on the Adriatic highway D8 on the south side of the Velebit Mountains in the Zadar County , not far from the Sveti Rok motorway tunnel . The bridge is known as a strategically important north-south traffic bottleneck and leads over the strait of Maslenica (Croatian: Masleničko ždrilo or Novsko ždrilo ) near the village of Maslenica at the inlet to the Novigrad Sea (Croatian Novigradsko more ). Travelers to Dalmatia and Zadar benefit from considerable distance and time savings by crossing the Maslenica Bridge.

destruction

The bridge built in 1961 was of strategic importance in terms of transport technology. It was the scene of fierce fighting during the Croatian War and was destroyed on November 21, 1991. During the war years, traffic had to be guided over a temporary pontoon bridge, which was opened to traffic on July 18, 1993. At the same time, the construction of a new concrete bridge began, the later Maslenica motorway bridge . For the extended four-lane bridge, however, a different location was chosen, a little further north from the original location of the Maslenica Bridge. The construction of the motorway bridge was promoted as a project of the highest state priority. The bridge, which was officially opened in 1997, became part of the A1 motorway in 2003 .

reconstruction

The Maslenica steel bridge has now been rebuilt on the site of the former Maslenica bridge (construction started in 2004) and opened to traffic on June 17, 2005. Today, however, the bridge is only used for regional traffic, as the majority of the north-south traffic flows over the Maslenica motorway bridge on the A1 motorway.

Current use and climatic conditions

Due to protests by the local population against the payment of a motorway toll for the use of the important bridge connection, the original Maslenica Bridge was rebuilt at its old location and in almost the same form as the former bridge (two lanes). The (original) Maslenica Bridge is also in a more advantageous location, because it is more sheltered from the wind than the newly built motorway bridge. Due to the large climatic differences, strong downdrafts prevail on the south side of Velebit in autumn and spring ( bora ). It can therefore occasionally happen that the A1 motorway is closed to traffic from the Maslenica exit to the Sveti Rok exit, including the Sveti Rok tunnel. In this case, traffic is mostly diverted over the "old" Maslenica Bridge and the Adriatic D8 (Jadranska Magistrala) along the villages of Zaton , Obrovac and Gračac . The Croatian traffic authorities are already testing methods to contain the down winds in order to ensure uninterrupted maintenance of motorway traffic, or a renovation of the Maslenica motorway bridge and the installation of steel plates for better wind stabilization are planned.

Data on the former Maslenica Bridge

The destroyed Maslenica Bridge was built in 1961 at the narrowest point of the Maslenica Strait (Croatian Masleničko ždrilo ). The sewer width is only 150 m at this point. The total length of the destroyed Maslenica Bridge was once 314 m. The arch span of the bridge was 155 m. The arch height itself was 55 m. The construction was financed by the Community of Road Companies of the Socialist Republic of Croatia , at that time part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . The construction companies involved were Pionir, Mostogradnja and two construction companies from Belgrade. The main cooperant was the steel construction company Metalna from Maribor. The entire construction was made of steel and was welded together, except for one part that was forged together (so-called assembly ends). Immediately before its destruction in 1991, the bridge was renovated.

The two bridges of Maslenica. The motorway bridge can be seen in the background.

Comparative values ​​for the new bridge

No significant changes were made to the geometry compared to the old bridge. The width of the carriageway is now 7.7 m instead of the previous 7 m. The width of the sidewalk has been increased from 1 m to 1.2 m. The total width of the bridge is now 10.5 m (previously 9.4 m). The planned construction time was estimated at 18 months at the start of construction. The designer of the old bridge was Vojislav Draganić. The designer of the new bridge was Stjepan Štorga from the engineering and project company ( Croat . Inženjerski projektni zavod ).

See also

Web links