The Rio-Antirio bridge (Greek: Γέφυρα Ρίου-Αντίρριου) is a cable-stayed bridge linking the cities of Rio (near Patra on the Peloponnese) and Antirio on the western mainland Greece, thus connecting with the rest of Europe.

The recently opened bridge will dramatically improve access to and from the Peloponnese, which could previously be reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth at its extreme east end. It has a length of 2252 m (2882 m including the access bridges); as it consists entirely of five cable-stayed spans and four columns, it is the world's longest cable-stayed suspended deck. Its width is 28 meters -- it has two lanes for each direction and also an emergency lane and a sidewalk for pedestrians.

This bridge is widely considered to be an engineering masterpiece owing several clever solutions applied to span the difficult site. These difficulties include deep water, insecure materials for foundations, seismic activity and the probability of tsunamis, and the expansion of the Gulf of Corinth due to plate tectonics.

Its official name is the Harilaos Trikoupis bridge. Harilaos Trikoupis was a 19th century Greek prime minister, and suggested the idea of building a bridge between Rio and Antirio; however, the endeavour was too difficult for the technologies of the time.

The bridge was planned in the mid-1990s. Site preparation and dredging began in 1998, and construction of the massive supporting pylons in 2000. With these complete in 2003, work began on the traffic decks and supporting cable stays. On May 21, 2004, the main construction was completed; only equipment (sidewalks, railings, etc.) and waterproofing remained to be installed. The bridge was finally inaugurated on August 7, 2004, a week before the start of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens -- and the Olympic torchbearers were the first to officially cross its length. One of them was Otto Rehhagel, the German football coach who won the Euro 2004 championship with the outsiders Greece. Another one was Costas Laliotis , the former Minister of Public Works during whose term the project was begun.

The total cost of the bridge was about € 630,000,000, mostly funded by the European Union, and it was finished ahead of its original schedule, which had foreseen completion between September and November 2004.

The structure was designed, and, for the most part, built by the French group Vinci, which will operate it under concession under its Gefyra (Greek for "bridge") subsidiary. The lead architect was Berdj Mikaelian .

Due to the peculiar conditions of the strait several unique engineering solutions had to be found. The water depth reaches 65 m, the seabed is made of sediments with little resistance, the seismic activity is significant, and the Gulf of Corinth is expanding at a rate of about 30 mm a year, thus the possibility of tectonic movements. Because of these reasons, special construction techniques were applied. The piers are not buried into the seabed, but rather they rest on a bed of gravel, which was meticulously levelled to an even surface (a difficult endeavour at this depth). The reason is that, should there be a tectonic movement, the piers should be allowed to move on the seabed; the gravel bed will thus absorb the energy of the movement. The bridge parts are connected to the piles using jacks and dampers to absorb movement; too rigid a connection would fail in the event of an earthquake, but the bridge should not have too much lateral leeway either, so as not to damage the piers. There is provision for the gradual expansion of the strait over the bridge's lifetime.

Cars passing the bridge have to pay a €9.70 toll, while different rates exist for lighter and heavier vehicles and frequent travellers. An €1.50 toll is applicable for motorbikes.

External links

• Official site
• Article on structures
• Articles showing articulations