After 20 years this bridge is finally finished: The one big problem that engineers had to fix
Along the coast of Croatia, a new structure joins the Komorjak and Omiš tunnels over the Cetina River. But it wasn’t easy.
Engineers spent more than 20 years on a new bridge over the River Cetina on the Croatian coast and needing to use some ingenious thinking to finally complete the project.
The new bridge is 224 meters long and sits about 70 meters above the River Cetina. It joins the Komorjak and Omiš tunnels, development which is expected to ease the severe traffic congestion during the busy summer tourism months.
CroatiaWeek reports that the project began in 2003 and has faced a series of problems. Workers have had to put up with landslides and extreme weather, and two-decade-long wait caused other logistical problems.
Construction teams had dug tunnels into the rock face on either sides of the cliff and were assembling the steel sections of the bridge, piece by piece. But as the two sides came together in the middle, it was clear that something was off. The two stretches of bridge were not aligned in any of the three dimensions, forcing a dramatic rethink.
Ov Blauwhuis has revealed that the misalignment was caused by the long delays, which had given the steel time to deform while in storage. Even the smallest of inaccuracies at one side could create a huge problem when trying to align a vast project like this.
In the end, they were able to use hydraulic jacks to exert controlled forced on specific sections of the bridge, creating subtle bends in the steel and gradually bringing the two sides together in the middle.
“I am delighted that this project is finally completed. This project will undoubtedly benefit the city of Omiš,” said Ivo Tomasović, the Mayor of Omiš, when the bridge was opened last summer.
“We know that the project started in 2003 but was halted. Today, I am pleased to witness the opening of this 4-kilometre stretch. Omiš faces immense traffic pressure during the summer, and we hope this move, perhaps not immediately but in the near future, will significantly improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors.”
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