Structural assessment & strengthening of the first singe-arch RC bridge in Sarajevo, BIH

Abstract

Careva Ćuprija (Emperor’s Bridge), located in the heart of the Old City in Sarajevo, was built in 1897. It was built as the first single-arch reinforced concrete bridge in Sarajevo with a span of 25.36 m. At that time, it was the largest structure of this type in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. During its long life of 122 years, some rehabilitation work took place; however, the main design for its rehabilitation was done just in 2015. As the bridge is on the list of the national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ICOMOS Recommendations for the Analysis, Conservation and Structural Restoration of Architectural Heritage were followed. The current condition assessment of the bridge was used to identify the remaining service life of the bridge, the required type and level of treatments, and suitable time for applying repair and retrofitting methods. Visual inspection, nondestructive, and minor destructive tests were done with the goal to determine the mechanical characteristics of the built-in materials and define the state of the structure. The article discusses the used methods and obtained results, which were the basis for numerical model calculation and the creation of the rehabilitation design.