Mala Rijeka Viaduct

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct
Coordinates 42°33′09″N 19°23′15″E / 42.55250°N 19.38750°E / 42.55250; 19.38750
Carries 1 rail track
Crosses Valley of the Mala Rijeka River
Official name Мост изнад Мале Ријеке/Most iznad Male Rijeke
Characteristics
Design Truss bridge
Material Steel, concrete
Total length 498.8 m (1,636 ft)
Height 139 m (456 ft)
Longest span 150.8 m (495 ft)
Clearance below 198 m (650 ft)
History
Designer Ljubomir Jevtovic (Engineers: Milivoje Kovacevic, Milorad Lukovic and Milorad Markovic)
Constructed by Mostogradnja
Construction begin 1969[1]
Construction end 1973[1]
Opened 1973

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct is a viaduct on the Belgrade - Bar railway, located some 20 km north of Podgorica, Montenegro.

Overview

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct seen from the train

The project was started in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The viaduct is 498.8 metres (1,636 ft) long and at its highest is 200 metres (660 ft) above the Mala Rijeka (pronounced [mâːlaː rijɛ̌ka], meaning literally Little river). It is also the longest bridge on the Belgrade - Bar railway.[2]

When constructed it was the highest railway bridge in the world surpassing the record height previously held by the Fades viaduct in France. It held the record until 2001 when the Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge (an arch bridge) was opened in Guizhou, China. Multiple railway bridges under construction in China will also be higher.[3]

Construction

36,000 m³ of concrete and 100,000 tons of steel were built into the bridge. The largest of four pillars, upon which the bridge lies, has a base bigger than a tennis court. Belgian extreme sportsman Cedric Dumont was the first person ever to base jump from the bridge (on September 11, 2008).

See also

References

Coordinates: 42°33′09″N 19°23′15″E / 42.55250°N 19.38750°E / 42.55250; 19.38750


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