Braila Bridge: Romania’s largest suspension bridge inaugurated

The Braila Bridge, Romania’s largest suspension bridge, and largest bridge over the Danube, was inaugurated on July 6.

Braila sits 38 meters high above water and has a total length of 1,975 meters, which are separated into a main span of 1,120 meters and two side spans with lengths of approximately 490 and 365 meters, features which also make it the third largest suspension bridge in Europe.

Some other features worth noting include the 81,000 km length of the structure’s main cables, which are equal to twice the Earth’s circumference and have a 120-year lifetime, as well as its 47 m diameter anchor blocks, which are buried at a 31 m depth.

The project was approved by the European Commission in 2019 and came at a total cost of more than €500 million, €363 million of which was funded by the EU’s Cohesion Policy.

Braila Bridge connects the ports of the Black Sea and the Danube Delta, replacing the current ferry service, and cutting travel times by about 50 minutes.

Finally, it is expected that the structure will freely accommodate about 11,400 vehicles per day.