Mala Rijeka Viaduct

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct
The Mala Rijeka Viaduct
Coordinates	42°33′09″N 19°23′15″E / 42.55250°N 19.38750°E
Carries	1 rail track
Crosses	Valley of the Mala Rijeka River
Locale	Near Bioče, Podgorica
Official name	Мост изнад Мале Ријеке/Most iznad Male Rijeke
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Material	Steel, concrete
Total length	498.8 m (1,636 ft)
Height	139 m (456 ft)
Longest span	150.8 m (495 ft)
Clearance below	198 m (650 ft)
History
Designer	Ljubomir Jevtović (Engineers: Milivoje Kovačević, Milorad Luković and Milorad Marković)
Constructed by	Mostogradnja
Construction start	1969
Construction end	1973
Opened	1973
Location

The Mala Rijeka Viaduct (pronounced [mâːlaː rijɛ̌ka], literally Little river) is a viaduct on the Belgrade–Bar railway, located some 20 km north of Podgorica, Montenegro.

Overview

The project was started in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The viaduct is 498.8 metres (1,636 ft) long and at its highest is 200 metres (660 ft) above the Mala Rijeka River. It is also the longest bridge on the Belgrade–Bar railway.^[2]

When constructed it was the highest railway bridge in the world, surpassing the record height previously held by the Fades viaduct in France. It held the record until 2001 when the Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge, a concrete arch bridge, was completed in Guizhou, China. Multiple railway bridges under construction in China will also be higher.^[3]

Construction

36,000 m³ of concrete and 100,000 tonnes^{[citation needed]} of steel were built into the bridge. The largest of four pillars, upon which the bridge lies, has a base bigger than a tennis court.

Belgian extreme sportsman Cedric Dumont was the first person to jump from the bridge on 11 September 2008.