- Address: Riga, Latvia;
- Overall length: 625 m;
- Discovery: 1981;
- Height: 109 m;
- Width: 28 m;
- Architectural style: Architectural modernism.
The capital of Latvia Riga attracts tourists who have found themselves in this country, with its numerous sights . The settlement is spread on both sides of the river Daugava . To cross from one side to the other, you can use the road cable bridge. This bridge crossing is equipped with a main span, a left additional span and a right-bank overpass.
Cable-stayed bridge - history of erection
Over the project of the cable-stayed bridge (Riga), the Kiev branch of the Soyuzdorproekt worked with the participation of Giprostroymost Institute LLC. All metal parts were made at the Voronezh bridge plant. The construction of the bridge began in the autumn of 1978. Large sections of the bridge were assembled directly on the shore, and then with the help of pontoons they were installed in the right places. The reinforced concrete bridge pylon was installed on a mobile formwork. For the design and construction of such a structure, the employees of Giprostroymost Institute OJSC were awarded with the USSR prizes, because at the time of its opening in 1981 the bridge had the largest cable span over the whole of Europe, its length was 8 m.
Cable bridge - interesting facts
Not only the famous sights of Riga have a rich history. The cable-stay bridge also has several interesting facts connected with the history of its creation. Originally, its construction was planned to be a little lower along the river, where better transport interchanges. But, as many tourists are eager to get to the Old Town, this part of the road could not do without traffic jams. The real place for creating the bridge was chosen by the city's leadership, who wanted to get to the center of the city as quickly as possible.
The grand opening of the bridge took place on July 21, 1981. Literally a week before, it had been tested for load capacity. There came 80 dump trucks fully loaded with sand. In the course of the research, it was found that the reliability of the cable-stayed bridge could be much stronger if a span support was provided at a distance of 312 m. When using the bridge, problems arose, it began to swing strongly in the presence of a strong wind. This problem was quickly eliminated by making an addition to the bridge, without affecting the smooth lines of the guys seeking to go up.
Cable-stayed bridge - description
Cable bridge in the photo looks very peculiar. Its main parts, the guys on the side, are somewhat reminiscent of the strings of a musical instrument. Today the bridge is considered one of the most modern and perfect architectural structures. The bridge connects parts of Krisjana Valdemara Street together, but earlier this street had another street name of Maxim Gorky, so the building was also called the Gorky Bridge. The cable-stayed bridge (Riga) on the photo looks truly grandiose, it became the first bridge in Europe, which laid the foundation for the construction of such structures.
The cable-stayed bridge has such characteristic features:
- on the bridge is carried out as an automobile two-way, and trolleybus traffic;
- on it there are 4 lanes for motor transport and 2 sidewalks on both sides;
- the total width of the bridge is 28.7 m;
- The pylon above the bridge is made in A-shape, it consists of a reinforced concrete structure and rises above the bridge at an altitude of 109 m;
- in the inclined pillars of the pylon are stairs, which are designed for maintenance personnel.
The view from the height of the cable-stayed bridge at night is beautiful, but with it was associated a lot of accidents that occurred with people climbing up on it to admire the picturesque panorama. Therefore in 2012 it was decided to install on the bridge round the clock security. But some daredevils and this warning did not stop, then the guys shielded the barbed wires and the construction fence, and the lowest rows were painted with slippery paint.