New Bridge, Mitrovica

The New Bridge (also known as Mitrovica Bridge, Ibar River Bridge or with the unofficial Austerlitz Bridge) is a steel truss bridge crossing the Ibar river in Mitrovica, a city in northern Kosovo.[a][1] The New Bridge has become an iconic symbol of Kosovo division,[2][3] as it separates around 80,000 Kosovo Albanians in the south from about half as many Serbs living in the north.[4] It is was used as a military checkpoint and provides a de facto border between the northern Serbian enclaves and the rest of Kosovo.[5] Today the bridge is open to pedestrians and there are only Carabinieri patrols from KFOR-MSU and Kosovo Police, but there is no longer any checkpoint.[6]

New Bridge
Mitrovica Bridge
Ibar Bridge
Austerlitz Bridge
Coordinates
CrossesIbar
LocaleMitrovica
History
Engineering design byFreyssinet company
OpenedJune 2001
Location

History
First snow on the main bridge in Mitrovica.
KFOR-MSU Carabinieri Patrols, in front of the renovated Ibar Bridge, in Mitrovica, Kosovo. (2019).

In 2001 the bridge was refurbished with French government money.[7] Structural operations such as the widening of the central pier, the reconstruction of the slab and pavements made of concrete and the replacement of the bearings and expansion joints were performed on the 100-meter-long (330 ft) bridge construction. Apart from these bridge repair actions the works also included the placement of additional architectural elements such as viewpoints on the bridge, the supply and placement of lighting, bank access steps and the construction of two decorative arches.[8] The Freyssinet company was awarded the contract to reconstruct the Mitrovica Bridge. The contract's terms stipulated that Freyssinet hire a multi-ethnic construction team to rebuild the bridge. In September 2000 the 61 workers from Kosovo were chosen - equal parts Albanians and Serbians. The project manager was Pierre Lottici. The Department of Transport and Infrastructure - a division of the UNMIK Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS) - oversaw the bridge contract. At the end of June 2001, the new DM3 million Mitrovica Bridge was handed over to the City of Mitrovica.[9]

The New Bridge is one of three bridges over the Ibar within Mitrovica. The other two, one leading to the railway station, and the other being an abandoned railway bridge, are only lightly used. The New Bridge is the main crossing point between the two sides of the city for pedestrians.

People from Mitrovica and even soldiers from KFOR often refer to the bridge calling it "Austerlitz Bridge", due to the close resemblance to the french Pont d'Austerlitz.

See also

Notes
a.   ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. Kostovicova, Denisa (2003-07-15). "Crossing the Bridge". Balkan Reconstruction Report. Political Digest: CEEOL. 2003 (7.15): 1.
  2. "Associated Press". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  3. "Associated Press". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  4. Stojanovic, Dusan (2008-02-19). "USA Today". Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  5. Charter, David (2008-03-19). "The Times (UK)". London. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  6. "New York Times (USA) In Kosovo, a Peace Built on Separation". 2018-01-30. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  7. Gail Warrander, Verena Knaus, Kosovo, Bradt Travel Guides, 2011, p. 273.
  8. Kosovo - Bridge repair, Freyssinet magazine, No. 210, January / April 2001, p. 6, archived from the original on March 18, 2013.
  9. Eleanor Beardsley (2002). "Monument to a City's Future". Press/Information Office, United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Archived from the original on 2013-03-18.
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