Work on continental Europe's second longest suspended bridge exceeds 67% completion

  • More than 250 workers, technicians involved in raising bridge's steel deck
  • New infrastructure will improve transport in north-east Romania
  • Project part of TEN-T's Rhine-Danube Corridor

BRAILA, Romania, June 6, 2022 - The Braila Bridge is taking shape over the Danube River in eastern Romania as the construction of continental Europe's second longest suspension bridge at 1,975 metres enters its most spectacular phase with the raising of the 1,120-metre steel deck in sections.

More than 250 workers and technicians have carefully hoisted into place 62 of the 86 segments that will compose the deck, bringing to more than 67% the completion of the project. Each segment weighs an average of 260 tonnes, measuring 25 metres wide, 32 metres long and 3.2 metres high. Their installation is as spectacular as it is complex: a lifting beam near the factory where the segments are made places them on barges that then travel 7 kilometres along the river. Once they arrive under the bridge, the segments are lifted to their final position on permanent hangers.

Commissioned by state company CNAIR on behalf of Romania's Ministry of Infrastructure the project is being built by a joint-venture led by Webuild and financed by the Operational Programme for Large Infrastructure (POIM). Once completed, the bridge will have four lanes, an emergency lane, and cycling and pedestrian paths. It also has two lateral spans 490 and 365 metres long, respectively, and an access viaduct 90 metres long on each side. The bridge remains suspended thanks to cables made of intertwined steel wires whose combined length is nearly 38,000 kilometres, virtually the circumference of the planet. A network of roads for a combined 23 kilometres is also being developed.

Approximately 1,350 workers and 100 direct suppliers are involved in this complex and innovative project, including some of the best engineers and technicians from Webuild.

The project is a strategic infrastructure asset for the northeast of the country because it will allow 7,000 vehicles to cross the Danube every day in a mere 2 minutes rather than the usual 45 minutes that it takes by ferry. It will improve mobility and trade in the region. The bridge is located 95 kilometres from the delta of the Danube and 8 kilometres from the centre of Braila where a major commercial port receives medium-sized ocean-faring vessels. The projects belongs to the Rhine-Danube Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and will contribute to improving the country's connection with the rest of continental Europe.

Webuild's track record includes the construction of 946 kilometres of bridges and viaducts, equivalent to the distance between Paris and Berlin. Among them are some of the most challenging that have come to represent the Group's innovative approach to construction, including the Genova San Giorgio Bridgein Italy, which was completed in a little more than a year. There is also the Third Bridge over the Bosphorus River in Turkey and the Skytrain bridge in Sydney in Australia.

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Webuild S.p.A. published this content on 06 June 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 06 June 2022 17:51:07 UTC.