Mala Rijeka Viaduct

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct
Coordinates	42°33′09″N 19°23′15″E
Carries	1 rail track
Crosses	Valley of the Mala Rijeka River
Locale	Mala Rijeka River, Montenegro
Official name	Мост изнад Мале Ријеке/Most iznad Male Rijeke
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Material	Steel, concrete
Total length	498.8 m (1,636 ft)
Height	139 m (456 ft)
Longest span	150.8 m (495 ft)
Clearance below	198 m (650 ft)
History
Designer	Ljubomir Jevtovic (Engineers: Milivoje Kovacevic, Milorad Lukovic and Milorad Markovic)
Constructed by	Mostogradnja
Construction start	1969
Construction end	1973
Opened	1973
Location

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct is a viaduct on the Belgrade - Bar railway, located some 20 km north of Podgorica, Montenegro.

Overview

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct seen from the train

The project was started in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The viaduct is 498.8 metres (1,636 ft) long and at its highest is 200 metres (660 ft) above the Mala Rijeka (pronounced [mâːlaː rijɛ̌ka], meaning literally Little river). It is also the longest bridge on the Belgrade - Bar railway.

When constructed it was the highest railway bridge in the world surpassing the record height previously held by the Fades viaduct in France. It held the record until 2001 when the Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge (an arch bridge) was opened in Guizhou, China. Multiple railway bridges under construction in China will also be higher.

Construction

36,000 m³ of concrete and 100,000 tons of steel were built into the bridge. The largest of four pillars, upon which the bridge lies, has a base bigger than a tennis court. Belgian extreme sportsman Cedric Dumont was the first person ever to base jump from the bridge (on 11 September 2008).

See also

• List of world's tallest bridges

External links

• Mala Rijeka Bridge at Structurae
• Cedric Dumont base jumping from the viaduct