FCC crews labored through 8-meter fluctuations in river levels, 70° fluctuations in temperature and marine traffic carrying 13 million tons of cargo annually to build the $375.7-million, 2-kilometer-long New Europe Bridge. Now the longest Danube River crossing, the extradosed bridge not only enhances commerce between northern and southern Europe but symbolizes renewed relations between Bulgaria and Romania.
Foundations as deep as 80 m, with 2,000-millimeter-dia concrete piles, support the extradosed cable structure, which sports pylons rising 21 m above the deck. Forty-five segmental match-cast deck-girder sections, each weighing up to 250 tonnes, were placed within tolerances of 0.1 mm. The team also used specialized components, such as stay-cable saddles and duct couplers for the deck segments, to enhance ease of maintenance.