The sleek cable-stayed crossing on the Adriatic coast provides a vital link for Croatia, connecting its popular Dubrovnik region by road to the rest of the country for the first time in 300 years. Funded mostly by the European Union, the 1.5-mile-long span has a 181-ft-high road deck to allow large vessels to access neighboring Bosnia’s lone seaport. Work was challenged by the project location in an active seismic region and in a protected marine area. The contractor brought to the site 19 large-scale construction vessels from China, including the world’s largest for pile-driving, says the team. The project’s 31,000 tons of steel tubular piles driven included one that was 130.6 meters long, setting a worldwide record. The contractor also used phased-array ultrasonic technology to boost weld quality and a higher non-destructive testing frequency than in design specifications. Finished on time and on budget, the project won top engineering recognition from three global industry groups.