The construction of an inner urban expressway ring around Belgrade is one of the city's biggest contemporary projects, and it is bound to be a significant generator of urban development for the capital city and the wider region. A ride or a walk along the new 'city boulevard' will open up new landscapes and new experiences of urban space. The most attractive element of the new boulevard is the bridge across the Sava River, which was built on the basis of the solution that won first prize in the international architecture and construction competition in 2004.

The Bridge Construction

The designers of the winning solution are the chief constructor engineer, Viktor Markelj, and architect Peter Gabrijelcic, who have worked together for over 25 years on multi-award-winning bridge structures which they designed as architecture for rivers. The competition solution for the new bridge over the Sava in Belgrade is a comprehensive synthesis of urban planning, construction and architectural design. Following their design, the bridge spans the Sava in a leap by means of two wide arches abutting on the river banks and on Ada Ciganlija, the island in the middle. At the very promontory of Ada Ciganlija island, a 207 m high pylon was erected to enable two assymmetrical spans to cross the river by means of 80 steel backstay cables. The new bridge is 920 m long, with a span of 375 metres. The carriageway is 45 metres wide, with six lanes for road vehicles, two light rail railway tracks, and two pedestrian and cycling paths. This is the largest bridge surface in the world suspended by just one pylon. The bridge incorporates numerous superior characteristics and succesfully meets many technical challenges.