Asparuhov Bridge - Varna

Overview

The Asparuhov Bridge is a road bridge in Northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in the city of Varna and connects the Asparuhovo and Galata neighborhoods with the central part of the city, being the only connection through the navigable canal connecting Varna Lake with the Black Sea. It is part of the Black Sea highway and the European road E87. The Asparuhov Bridge is the second with the largest opening in Bulgaria of 160 m after the New Europe Bridge (Danube Bridge 2) between Vidin and Calafat, which has several openings of 180 m. The bridge is designed for standard loads - H-300 and NK-800, wind and temperature differences, where the sag of the middle hole is about 0.30 m. The middle part is a steel continuous beam with three holes (80 + 160 + 80 m), with a maximum height of 52 m, designed by Dimitar Dimitrov, and the approaches to it are made of reinforced concrete simple beams. Ships pass under it to reach the port of Varna West. It was put into operation ahead of schedule on September 8, 1976, and was opened by the Chairman of the State Council Todor Zhivkov. In addition to a magnitude 7 earthquake, the Asparuhov Bridge is designed to withstand a hurricane wind speed of 180 km / h and a temperature difference of -40 ° to +40 ° C. Before the Asparuhov Bridge was built, transport between Varna and Bourgas was more difficult. The channel between the lake and the sea is bridged by a movable metal bridge, which rises when ships pass. This has extremely slowed down the economic and tourist connections between Northern and Southern Bulgaria. You can bungee jump from Asparuhov Bridge. A console in its highest part has been adapted for this purpose. More and more people are deciding to try this extreme experience. The bridge also has a notoriety for the many suicides committed here. A consecration was made on April 7, 2013 by Metropolitan Cyril. The construction of a second bridge is expected to relieve the center of Varna from traffic to nearby resorts, as one of the possibilities is to be part of the Black Sea highway.