Crosses Tsakona Valley Design Arch bridge Total length 490 m Longest span 300 m Bridge type Arch bridge | Owner Greek State Opened 28 February 2016 Width 27 m Longest span 300 m Location Meligalas | |
Carries 4 lanes of Moreas Motorway (E65) Locale Tsakona & Paradiseia, near Megalopoli, Greece Maintained by Moreas SA, J/V ALPINE BAU-ΤΕRNA SA | ||
Tsakona arch bridge
The Tsakona Arch Bridge (Greek: Τοξωτή Γέφυρα Τσακώνας), is one of the world's longest multi-span arch bridge. It crosses the Tsakona Valley and it spans a dangerous location near Megalopoli, where, in the last decades, there have been many landslides.
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Construction
The Tsakona Arch Bridge, with length of 490 meters, was the last work that remained for the section Paradeisia – Tsakona axis Tripolis – Kalamata to be completed (made by the State and will be delivered to the consortium Moreas). As stated in the "Courage" by the project leader Nikos Donas, this bridge was one of the most difficult engineering projects, after the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge. Τhe project's cost was budgeted at €94 million but there were unjustifiable overruns, the total cost arrriving at 131,5 million EUR.
The bridge is supported at three points: one at each end (abutments) and one that is closer to the top of the pier. This last is the most important: it is basically a giant 'prefab', which ensures the stability of the bridge. From the pier starts the arch of the bridge, with a maximum height of 30 meters. The two arches, one on each side, support the metal part of the bridge on which the road is located.
Its construction started in 2008 and was opened for traffic in January 2016.