Krk Bridge
Krk Bridge (Croatian: Krčki most) is a 1430 m long reinforced concrete arch bridge connecting the Croatian island of Krk to the mainland. Carrying over a million vehicles per year, it was the last tolled bridge in Croatia that is not part of a motorway until the removal of tolls. The longer of the bridge's two arches is the third-longest concrete arch in the world and the longest outside of China, 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 earlier.[6] The bridge has since been renamed Krk Bridge or Croatian: Krčki most.[7] The bridge was tolled since its opening until the removal of tolls on 15 June 2020. However, passage was toll free for Krk residents since 1999 and vehicles owned by Krk businesses since the 2000s. When the tolls were removed, passenger cars were being charged 35 kuna, southbound only.[5]
Krčki most | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 45°14′40″N 14°34′00″E |
| Carries | Road vehicles |
| Crosses | Krk Channel (Adriatic Sea) |
| Locale | Western Croatia |
| Official name | Krčki most |
| Maintained by | Autocesta Rijeka-Zagreb d.d. |
| Characteristics | |
| 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 |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Mostogradnja Hidroelektra[1] |
| Construction start | 1976[2] |
| Construction end | 1980[2] |
| Construction cost | $50 million USD[3] |
| Opened | July 19, 1980[4] |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | None (since 15 June 2020)[5] |
| Location | |
| |
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 St. Mark (Croatian: Sv. Marko) 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.[4]
Traffic
Krk Bridge connects the island's 19,383 inhabitants (as of 2011) 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. Krk Bridge only carries one lane of traffic in each direction, and the increasing levels of traffic warrant a larger replacement bridge which is currently in planning stages.
References
- Simović 2000, p. 440.
- Simović 2000, p. 439.
- I. Stipanović Oslaković (2008), Case study: LCC analysis for Krk Bridge (PDF), Civil Engineering Institute of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia, retrieved 3 August 2014
- Simović 2000, p. 432.
- "Naplata pred Krčkim mostom od sutra definitivno odlazi u povijest, evo što sve trebate znati o tome". Novi list (in Croatian). 2020-06-14.
- Simović 2000, p. 436.
- http://www.krkcroatia.net/krk-bridge/
Sources
- Simović, Veselin (2000). "Dvadeseta obljetnica mosta kopno – otok Krk" [Twentieth anniversary of the Krk – mainland bridge] (PDF). Građevinar (in Croatian). 52 (8): 431–442. Retrieved 21 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)