Rio–Antirrio Bridge
The Rio-Antirio bridge (Greek: Γεφυρα Ριου-Αντιρριου) is a cable-stayed bridge built between the cities of Rio (near Patra) and Antirio, linking the Peloponnese to Western mainland Greece. It is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, with a length of 2252 m (2882 m including the access bridges).
Its official name is 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. Construction began around 2000. The bridge was inaugurated on August 7, 2004 (it was originally planned to be completed in September or November 2004). The total cost was about € 630,000,000, mostly funded by the European Union.
The structure was designed and built for the most part by the French group Vinci, which will operate it under concession under its Gefyra ("bridge") subsidiary; for this reason, the bridge was popularly nicknamed "the bridge of the French" by the Greek public. The lead architect was Berdj Mikaelian.
In 2001, the bottom of the bridge went under construction, then the middle level followed in 2002, and the upper level in 2003. On May 21, 2004, the main construction was completed; only equipment (sidewalks, railings...) and waterproofing remain to be installed.
The bridge is an engineering masterpiece, because of the peculiar conditions of the strait: 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 piles 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 piles 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 to absorb movement. There is provision for the gradual expansion of the strait over the bridge's lifetime.