Rio-Antirrio bridge, Cable-stayed bridge in West Greece Region
The Rio-Antirrio Bridge is a steel structure that crosses the Gulf of Corinth and forms part of European route E55. Four towers rise from the water and support steel cables that hold a roadway with multiple lanes.
Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis dreamed of a link between the mainland and the Peloponnese peninsula during the 19th century. Work began many decades later and ended in 2004 with the opening during the Athens Olympic Games.
Olympic torch bearers marked the first official crossing during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, connecting Peloponnese with mainland Greece.
Vehicles use four main traffic lanes while two emergency lanes and a path for cyclists and pedestrians run along the side. The crossing takes a few minutes and offers open views over the water on both sides.
Each pier footing rests not on the seabed but on a bed of gravel levelled flat at depth, so the piers can slide sideways during an earthquake while the gravel absorbs the energy. Beneath every pier, 200 hollow steel pipes were driven vertically into the loose sediment to stabilise it. The deck joins the pylons through jacks and dampers rather than a rigid connection.
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