Zrinski Bridge

Zrinski Bridge / Zrinyi Bridge
Coordinates 46°24′44″N 16°42′04″E / 46.41215°N 16.701021°E / 46.41215; 16.701021Coordinates: 46°24′44″N 16°42′04″E / 46.41215°N 16.701021°E / 46.41215; 16.701021
Carries road vehicles
Crosses Mura River
Locale Northern Croatia, southwest Hungary
Official name Zrinski most / Zrínyi híd
Maintained by Hrvatske autoceste
Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt.
Characteristics
Design Box girder bridge
Total length 216 m (709 ft)
Width 2 × 15 m (49 ft)
Longest span 48 m (157 ft)
History
Opened 2008
Statistics
Toll not tolled

The Zrinski Bridge or Zrínyi Bridge (Croatian: Zrinski most, Hungarian: Zrínyi híd) connects the Croatian A4 and the Hungarian M7 motorways, spanning the Mura River. As it also spans Hungarian–Croatian border, a joint border checkpoint is located north of the bridge. The bridge is located between Goričan interchange of the A4 motorway and the M70 motorway interchange of the M7. The bridge is a part of a major north–south transportation corridor in Croatia and Hungary and a part of European routes E65 and E71 as well as the Pan-European corridor Vb.

The bridge is a composite continuous girder structure executed across five spans, 216 meters (709 feet) long overall. It consists of two 15-meter (49 ft) parallel structures, each carrying one carriageway, set 80 centimeters (31 inches) apart. Construction and naming of the bridge was announced in 2007 by Croatian and Hungarian governments following a joint session, and ceremonially opened on 22 October 2008 as the last piece of the motorway route connecting the Hungarian capital, Budapest, to the Croatian capital, Zagreb, and the Port of Rijeka after 40 years of construction.

The bridge was designed by Uvaterv and built by Hidroelektra-Niskogradnja at a cost of 8 million kuna (1.08 million euro). The cost was shared equally by Croatia and Hungary. The bridge is maintained by Hrvatske autoceste and Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt.

Description

Goričan/Letenye border crossing adjacent to the Zrinski Bridge

The Zrinski Bridge/Zrínyi Bridge connects the Croatian A4 and the Hungarian M7 motorways, spanning the river Mura. As it also spans Hungarian–Croatian border, a border checkpoint is situated adjacent to the bridge, on the north bank.[1] The bridge is located between Goričan interchange of the A4 motorway and the M70 motorway interchange of the M7.[2] The bridge is a part of a major north–south transportation corridor in Croatia and Hungary and a part of European routes E65 and E71 as well as the Pan-European corridor Vb.[3][4]

Structure

The A4/M7 motorway route follows a 2,000-meter (6,600 ft) radius horizontal curve and a 18,000-meter (59,000 ft) radius vertical convex curve at the site of the bridge, intersecting the watercourse at an angle of 75 degrees. The bridge consists of dual structures, one for each of the motorway carriageways, executed as composite, continuous structures. Each of the structures comprises two 2.1-meter (6 ft 11 in) × 2.0-meter (6 ft 7 in) box steel girders made composite with deck slab of variable depth (23 centimeters (9.1 inches) at mid-span), concreted in situ. Since the river is up to 200 meters (660 feet) wide and only 3 to 4 meters (9.8 to 13.1 feet) deep on average, a five span structure was selected for construction of the bridge: 36 meters (118 feet) + 3 × 48 meters (157 feet) + 36 meters (118 feet).[5] The bridge is 216 meters (709 feet) overall and each of the two parallel structures is 15 meters (49 feet) wide, spaced 80 centimeters (31 inches) apart.[6]

Concrete bridge piers consist of two 4.0-meter (13.1 ft) × 2.0-meter (6 ft 7 in) columns each, executed atop driven, prefabricated concrete piles. Bridge abutments are also made of concrete and supported by the same type of piles. All the piles are 8.6 to 11.3 meters (28 to 37 feet) long and comprise diameter of 50 centimeters (20 inches). The substructure is protected against scouring using gabions placed on the river bed. The bridge is fitted with electric lighting, electronic surveillance of unauthorized access to maintenance openings, as well as frost and wind-speed control devices.[5]

Traffic volume

Volume of traffic using the Zrinski Bridge/Zrínyi Bridge is not reported regularly by Hrvatske ceste in their annual bulletins on Croatian road traffic volume, even though it is a part of the A4 motorway where the traffic volume is normally measured. Still, such a measurement is available for the adjacent section of the A4, where average annual daily traffic volume of 2,188 vehicles was observed in 2010. Since the route comprising the bridge is used by substantial number of tourists traveling between Hungary and Adriatic Sea resorts, the traffic volume increases during July–August period—to 7,247 vehicles in 2010.[7]

History

Originally, construction of the bridge was planned by Hrvatske autoceste to start in 2006, along with a 1.4-kilometer (0.87 mi) connector to the A4 motorway completed by that time and a 1-kilometer (0.62 mi) M7 connector. Initially, the works were planned to be completed by 2007.[8] Actual commencement of the construction works was announced in May 2007 during a joint session of the Government of Croatia and the Government of Hungary. At the same time, it was declared that the bridge shall be called Zrinski Bridge, after the House of Zrinski.[9] The press continued to refer to the bridge under the generic name "Mura" (after the river) even after it was opened.[6][10][11]

The prefabricated piles, manufactured by Tvornica Betonskih Stupova – TBS in Jastrebarsko, and sections of the steel structural elements, manufactured by Đuro Đaković in Slavonski Brod, were delivered to the construction site by trucks. The steel structure was assembled on the northern (Hungarian) bank of the river followed by incremental launching of the superstructure.[5] The bridge design was developed by Hungarian company Uvaterv, and the bridge construction works were performed by Croatian Hidroelektra-Niskogradnja. Bridge equipment was installed by Dalekovod. Total cost of the bridge construction works was 8 million kuna (1.08 million euro). The cost was shared equally by Croatia and Hungary. Additional 50 million kuna (6.7 million euro) was required to build the connecting motorway section north of Goričan interchange.[6]

The bridge was completed and opened for traffic on 22 October 2008 by Croatian and Hungarian transport ministers. Opening of the bridge signified completion of the motorway route spanning Budapest and Rijeka via Zagreb after 40 years of construction.[12] At the occasion a joint border crossing checkpoint was opened. It was completed in October 2007, and funded by the European Union.[6][9] Completion of the bridge was greeted with expectation of advances in areas of tourism, transportation safety and economic development, as the bridge represented the first modern motorway link between the countries.[11] The bridge is maintained by Hrvatske autoceste and Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt, companies maintaining the motorways connecting on the bridge.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Karta Carinarnica RH" [Map of border crossings and customs office areas] (PDF) (in Croatian). Customs Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  2. ↑ "Pravilnik o označavanju autocesta, njihove stacionaže, brojeva izlaza i prometnih čvorišta te naziva izlaza, prometnih čvorišta i odmorišta" [Regulation on motorway markings, chainage, interchange/exit/rest area numbers and names]. Narodne novine (in Croatian). 6 May 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "European Agreement on main international traffic arteries (AGR) (with annexes and list of roads). Concluded at Geneva on 15 November 1975" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Transport : launch of the Italy-Turkey pan-European Corridor through Albania, Bulgaria, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece". European Union. 9 September 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 "Autocestovni most preko Mure kod Goričana" [Motorway Bridge Across Mura at Goričan] (in Croatian). Gradimo.hr. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Ministri prometa Hrvatske i Mađarske otvorili most Muru s pristupnim cestama" [Croatian and Hungarian Transport Ministers Open the Mura Bridge and new Access Roads] (in Croatian). Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (Croatia). 22 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Brojenje prometa na cestama Republike Hrvatske – sažetak" [Traffic counting on the roadways of the Republic of Croatia – digest] (PDF) (in Croatian). Hrvatske ceste. May 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "PLAN GRAĐENJA I ODRŽAVANJA AUTOCESTA za 2006. godinu" [Motorway construction and maintenance plan – year 2006] (in Croatian). Hrvatske autoceste. October 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Priopćenje 22. listopada 2008." [Press release 22 October 2008] (in Croatian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (Croatia). Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Otvoren most 'Mura' i dionica Goričan – Letenye" [Mura Bridge and Goričan – Letenye section open] (in Croatian). Nova TV. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  11. 1 2 "Otvoren most Mura i dionica Goričan – Letenye" [Mura Bridge and Goričan – Letenye Section Open] (in Croatian). Limun.hr. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  12. ↑ Dragan Grdić (20 August 2008). "Hidroelektra dovršava most Goričan-Letenye" [Hidroelektra Completes Goričan-Letenye Bridge] (in Croatian). Poslovni dnevnik. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Zakon o javnim cestama" [Public Roads Act]. Narodne Novine (in Croatian). 14 December 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "ROAD NETWORK". Állami Autópálya Kezelő Zrt. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
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