"Friendship bridge" over the Danube, revamped for the first time in 61 years

Romania’s National Roads Company CNADNR started revamping the bridge over the Danube that connects the Romanian town Giurgiu to Ruse in Bulgaria, also known as the ‘friendship bridge’. This is the first rehabilitation work on the bridge since its opening in June 1954. “The work includes the full replacement of the road system (concrete boards and asphalt layers) that will ensure traffic comfort and safety on this section,” reads the CNADNR statement. CNADNR awarded the contract, worth RON 46 million (over EUR 10 million) without VAT, to the association Collini Lavori – Tecnic Consulting Engineering in October 2014. The contract has a period of 16 months, and the investment is financed with money from the European Fund for Regional Development. The rehabilitation work should be completed in the first quarter of 2016. Only one of the bridge's lanes will be open to traffic until then. CNADNR recommends drivers to use alternative border crossing points to Bulgaria, such as the bridge at Calafat, the Bechet, Zimnicea and Calarasi ferry crossings, and the Negru Voda and Vama Veche land border crossings. The ‘friendship bridge’ connects Giurgiu in Romania and Ruse in Bulgaria. It is a metal bridge, made of steel, and was built for mixed traffic (train and cars). The bridge was opened in 1954 and has a total length of 2,223 meters. The Romanian side of the bridge has 1,168 meters. Here's a photo gallery of the work: Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Wikipedia)