The heavy load carrier Development Way has completed the delivery of the final 24 steel segments for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge. The bridge construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
On Tuesday, June 8, cargo ship Development Way moored in the Port of Ploče, after departing from China in late April. She delivered 24 bridge span segments, weighing 4,777 tonnes, from the production facilities to the south of Croatia. The delivery completed the transport of 165 segments that are going to, once joined together, form the 2404-meter superstructure and traffic area of the bridge.
The bridge sections are now in one place, and need to be assembled into what bridge architect Marjan Pipenbaher refers to as a beautiful, delicate white line with six pylons and load-bearing structures. Three-quarters or 1,800 meters of the steel structure have already been installed, and the welders will finish joining the segments by the end of September keeping to the current pace.
The finishing work on the bridge includes installations, power supply and lighting, anti-corrosion protection, waterproofing and asphalt pavement installation. The works should go on until the end of the year, after which the bridge will be ready for technical inspection. This time next year, the delicate white line of the bridge should be interspersed with the silhouettes of vehicles.
The infrastructure project ‘Road connection to south Dalmatia’, centred around the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, is the largest project contracted within the framework of the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.” The programme contributes a €428,7 million grant to fund the project.