Two Notable Arch Bridges on The Croatian Adriatic Highway

Abstract

The construction of the Adriatic highway is one of the greatest financial and building projects that have ever been undertaken in Croatia. In this paper, two notable arch bridges on this highway are described in detail. The building of the new concrete arch Maslenica Bridge marked the beginning of construction of the new highway. The arch is of 200 m span with a rise of 65 m and was constructed by free cantilevering. The superstructure consists of eight simple-span precast prestressed girders made continuous and interconnected by concrete deck slab cast in situ. The bridge design was strongly influenced by the severity of the maritime environment and the high winds on the site. The Krka Bridge crosses the Krka River canyon in the proximity of the entrance to the environmentally very valuable and protected area of the National Park. The arch type structure was the logical choice for the canyon crossing. The reinforced concrete arch has 204 m span and 52 m rise. A slender composite steel–concrete superstructure was selected to blend more harmonically with the beautiful environment and to reduce weight and thus seismic forces at the highly seismic bridge site.