The Rio-Andirrio Bridge (Greek: Γέφυρα Ρίου-Αντιρρίου), crosses the Gulf of Corinth at Patras.
background
The official name of the bridge is Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge (Γέφυρα Χαρίλαος Τρικούπης), named after a former Prime Minister of Greece. He had already proposed the construction of a bridge at this point in 1880, which, however, proved to be technically too difficult at that time. Construction only began in 1998: the vision became reality. The bridge was inaugurated and opened to traffic in August 2004.
The bridge was built as a stay cable construction, it has 4 pylons that rise up to 160 m high. The greatest clearance in the middle is 52 m. The total length of the construction is 2,883 m, the actual bridge is 2,252 m long, plus the access ramp at Rio with 393 m and at Andirrio with 239 m. The bridge is 27.2 m wide , it has a total of 4 lanes, a pedestrian path and a hard shoulder for emergencies.
preparation
The bridge was built by a Franco-Greek consortium, the total price was 771 million euros. The crossing is therefore subject to a toll for motor vehicles until 2039, pedestrians and cyclists can use it free of charge. The price for the crossing (there and back) is € 13.50 for a car (as of 2011), current figures on the operator's homepage (see web links).
The possibility of crossing the Gulf of Corinth (or the Gulf of Patras) with a ferry for about half the price still exists.
When driving north, there is a parking lot and an information building on the Andirrio side directly at the access ramp, an iron walkway over part of the roadway allows a good view of the construction.
getting there
The bridge connects the Peloponnese near the village Rio (Suburb of Patras) with the north-west of Greece near the village Andirrio. It is now signposted as National Road 5, but should be upon completion of the Ionian street (Ionia Odos), as Autbahn 5 is called, serve as a motorway bridge.
security
In addition to the necessary span of 2.5 km and the water depth of 65 m, a number of other points had to be taken into account during the planning. The region is characterized by strong tectonic movements, the bridge should be able to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale undamaged, and it was also taken into account that the two bridgeheads move away from each other by about 30 mm each year. The bridge should also be able to withstand wind speeds of up to 250 km.
The bridge has already withstood an unplanned test: in January 2005, a lightning strike destroyed one of the holding ropes on the third pylon. Traffic was stopped immediately, the damage was examined and repaired, after which the bridge could be opened to traffic again.
trips
The bridge connects the A5 with the A8 motorway (Olympia Street, Olympia Odos) in the Peloponnese. This will reduce the travel time from cities in western Greece such as Mesolongi to Athens significantly shortened.
