Mala Rijeka Viaduct

42°33′09″N 19°23′15″E / 42.55250°N 19.38750°E / 42.55250; 19.38750Carries1 rail trackCrossesValley of the Mala Rijeka RiverLocaleNear Bioče, PodgoricaOfficial nameМост изнад Мале Ријеке/Most iznad Male RijekeCharacteristicsDesignTruss bridgeMaterialSteel, concreteTotal length498.8 m (1,636 ft)Height139 m (456 ft)Longest span150.8 m (495 ft)Clearance below198 m (650 ft)HistoryDesignerLjubomir Jevtović (Engineers: Milivoje Kovačević, Milorad Luković and Milorad Marković)Constructed byMostogradnjaConstruction start1969^[1]Construction end1973^[1]Opened1973Location

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct (pronounced [mâːlaː rijɛ̌ka], literally Little river) is a viaduct on the Belgrade–Bar railway, located some 20 km north of Podgorica, Montenegro.

Overview

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 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, a concrete arch bridge, was completed in Guizhou, China. Multiple railway bridges under construction in China will also be higher.^[3]

Construction

36,000 m³ of concrete and 100,000 tonnes^{[citation needed]} 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 jump from the bridge on 11 September 2008.

See also

• List of tallest bridges

References

External links

• Mala Rijeka Bridge at Structurae
• Cedric Dumont base jumping from the viaduct

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