New Bridge over the Sava River at the location of the Old Sava Bridge
Near the confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers, at the foot of Kalemegdan Park, at the route connecting the old core of Belgrade – the Savamala neighbourhood with the core of New Belgrade, lies the Old Sava Bridge. It stretches across the Sava River connecting two Belgrade municipalities – Savski Venac and New Belgrade. The approach roads of the Bridge on the New Belgrade side are part of the city street called Zemunski Put, while on the right bank of the Sava River, in the part of Old Belgrade, the approach road intersects with Karadjordjeva Street. The road further continues towards the tunnel passing under the city centre and connecting the slopes of the Sava and the Danube Rivers.
A new, modern Sava Bridge will be built to replace the Old one.
The main role of the New Bridge is to increase the capacity of the road connecting parts of the city situated on two banks of the Sava River (Srem and Sumadija part of the city), as well as to introduce traffic flows into the area within the Special Purpose Area Spatial Plan for Part of Belgrade Waterfront Development – Sava River Waterfront Development for the purposes of the “Belgrade Waterfront” Project. Almost all transport modes and transport subsystems converge and intertwine in the area within Plan borders, which particularly stands out on the right bank of the Sava River. Primary Road Network consists of class I state roads (highways, arterial roads), and class I and II local roads (streets), while a Secondary Road Network (Non-Primary Road Network) consists of the approach roads and local road network.
The New Sava Bridge Basic Information:
- The Bridge is 420 metres long and has 6 piers
- The Bridge structure includes a 166-meter wide main span and two 73 and 54-meter wide side spans symmetrically arranged at either side of the bridge, crossing the required navigable profile of 150 meters;
- The Bridge is 38 meters wide, except for the parts designed for the observation deck where the bridge width reaches 42 meters;
- Two-way tram traffic is positioned in the median, the minimum width of which is 8 meters;
- Two-way road traffic including two 6.5 meters wide carriageways, one per each direction (3.5 meters wide right lane and 3 meters wide left lane);
- A one-way bicycle/pedestrian path, 3.3 meters wide each, designed at either side of the Bridge.
Observing the newly designed Bridge from the perspective of the nearby Belgrade bridges, it might be concluded that some of its structural elements are visually connected to other bridges over the Sava River.
The girders rising up from the river piers supporting the tie-beam, visually resemble the supports holding the Gazelle Bridge box girder cross-section.The suspenders, radially arranged across the newly designed bridge, give an elegant airy appearance that might be compared to the New Railway Bridge cables, and especially to those of the Ada Bridge.Furthermore, the tie-beam joining the banks together in a slight arc might be compared to the appearance of the Branko’s Bridge, where the river is bridged by a beam of variable cross-section. Considering the previously mentioned, it leads to a conclusion that the newly designed bridge is going to fit well into the “collection” of the existing bridges. However, apart from the structural parts designed in a way to connect the Bridge to the existing Belgrade bridges, the newly designed bridge has a unique aesthetics.The main aesthetic contribution was achieved by introducing the asymmetry, adopting a 6-meter height difference between the top arches, thus giving the bridge a unique touch.
The New Sava Bridge Approach Roads Basic Information:
The approach roads are designed at the position of the existing approaches to the Old Sava Bridge, one part of which is located on the right riverbank – in the municipality of Savski Venac, and the other part is located on the left riverbank – in the municipality of Novi Beograd.
The approach road in the municipality of Savski Venac starts from the roundabout in the existing Karadjordjeva Street and ends at the New Bridge:
- The approach road is approximately 160 meters long;
- Two-way tram traffic is positioned in the median;
- Two-way road traffic including two 6.5-meter wide carriageways, one per each direction (each carriageway including two traffic lines: 3.5 meters wide right lane and 3 meters wide left lane);
- 2.5 meters wide sidewalks installed on either side
The approach road in the municipality of New Belgrade extends between the New Bridge, goes along Zemunski Put and ends at the intersection with Vladimira Popović Street;
- The road is approximately 460 meters long;
- Two-way tram traffic is positioned in the median;
- Two-way road traffic including two 6.5-meter wide carriageways, one per each direction (each carriageway including two traffic lines: 3.5 meters wide right lane and 3 meters wide left lane);
- Pedestrian sidewalks including one–way bicycle traffic, each 3 meters wide, are designed on either side of the Bridge.
- A tram stop is designed for each direction; the platform is approximately 66 meters long and 3.5 meters wide.
The Project of construction of the new bridge over the Sava River includes the previous disassembling and relocation of the Old Sava Bridge structure parts in order to preserve and reassemble it at a new suitable location. Several options are currently under consideration in order to include all the necessary parameters and reach the optimal solution that will represent a “new life” for the Old Sava Bridge. Immediately after the professional removal of the steel structure, all parts of the structure are intended to be examined and carefully placed at the designated location. Upon the completion of the disassembling and the accurate assessment of the physical condition of the structure parts, and after re-consultation with experts and the public, a final decision will be made and published on the new location to which the Old Sava Bridge will be moved. The decision on the purpose and new location of the Old Sava Bridge is to be announced before the completion of the construction of the new bridge over the Sava River.
