Strabag is involved in one of the most challenging bridge construction sites in Croatia. But just before completion, the ends do not match.
Everything feels like a critical flaw in the building. The two ends of the new bridge in the southern Croatian seaside town of Omiš do not fit together shortly before their alleged wedding. Only a few inches separate the halves of the steel structure high above the Cetina River – and a man’s height difference.
Construction site photos (see photo gallery below) are already making the rounds around the world. On 9GAG it says “Oops”, on Reddit there is a heated discussion about whether the site managers miscalculated. But was the momentous million-dollar project really sloppy? Did Strabag executor miscalculate?
“No. Don’t worry, everything is going according to plan here,” the builder assured Monday, as a result of the large number of concerned inquiries. The floating Cetina steel girder bridge is 216 meters long and has a maximum span of 152 meters and, according to Strabag, will be built using the so-called incremental launching method.
Across the Cetina Bridge
The Cetina Bridge forms part of a bypass that the traffic-plagued seaside town of Omiš has been waiting for a quarter of a century. It should not only relieve the center, but also allow better connections with the city of Split and the highway. The bridge itself has to span a 152 meter wide gorge at a height of 70 meters – without any supporting pillars.
Long tunnels were first dug into the cliffs on either side of the gorge. The steel construction of the respective bridge halves was then completely completed on these. Only then were they pushed inch by inch through the hydraulics.
“Currently, both halves of the bridge are supported by temporary supports that are adjustable in height and will be aligned shortly,” says Strabag. The curious height difference is planned and not a problem.
The lowering is now happening at a snail’s pace – for safety reasons, as the structure already weighs 1,100 tons. You should also pay attention to the wind, which sometimes whistles through the narrow gorge at high speed. If it’s more than eleven meters per second, you should take a break.
Weather permitting, after a long wait, the arch will be mounted in the next few days. “The moment when the two parts of the bridge meet is called a ‘marriage’ by experts. An engineering masterpiece!” said Strabag. Then the last doubts about construction management should be dispelled.
Browsing account rcp time 21.02.2023, 18:54 | Act: 02/21/2023, 6:54 pm