Galaktion Bridge, Tbilisi, Road and pedestrian bridge over the Kura in Tbilisi, Georgia

Galaktion Bridge is a three-span reinforced concrete arch bridge over the Kura River, linking Mikhail Javakhishvili Street with Konstantin Marjanishvili Street. Its central 73-metre arch crosses the river, flanked by two 20-metre side spans over the embankment roads. The 25-metre-wide deck carries four lanes of traffic and pedestrians, and the facades are clad in Algethi basalt and Bolnisi tuff.

A permanent bridge was first discussed in the 1880s; engineer S. Umansky and P. Zamyatin designed an iron three-span bridge on stone piers, opened on 10 February 1885, with a 5-kopeck toll until 1915. The present three-span reinforced-concrete arch bridge, by architect Mikheil Melia and engineer Giorgi Chomakhidze, was completed in December 1952. It was named after Stalin, then Elbakidze, and in 1999 received the name of poet Galaktion Tabidze.

The bridge is named after the poet Galaktion Tabidze, who died in 1959; it received his name in 1999, after earlier stints as the Elbakidze Bridge and the Vere Bridge. Its Soviet-era decoration and the four lion sculptures added in 2008 by G. Japaridze are details to look for.

The bridge carries four lanes of motor traffic alongside its sidewalks, so pedestrians cross on the walkways while cars pass in the middle. It links Mikhail Javakhishvili Street with Konstantin Marjanishvili Street, joining the Chugureti station area to the city centre. Upstream stands the Queen Tamar Bridge, downstream the Saarbrücken Bridge.

The bridge is strictly symmetrical: a 73-metre central arch spans the river bed, flanked by two 20-metre side spans over the embankment roads. Its facades are clad in Algethi basalt and Bolnisi tuff, and four lion sculptures by G. Japaridze were added in 2008.