Kőröshegy viaduct, Road bridge near Lake Balaton, Hungary
Kőröshegy viaduct is a prestressed concrete road bridge carrying the M7 motorway over the Kőrös Valley between Zamárdi and Balatonszárszó, south of Lake Balaton. Its flat deck runs 1,872 meters on sixteen hollow piers between 17.7 and 79.7 meters tall, the highest point standing 88 meters above the ground.
Planning for the Zamárdi–Balatonszárszó section of the M7 began in the 1970s; a 1991 study by UVATERV proposed three routes, and the valley-bridge variant was accepted by residents in 1996. Environmental and forestry objections delayed permits until 2000, and the environmental permit was issued on 8 April 2002. The viaduct was built between 2004 and 2007 and opened to traffic on 8 August 2007.
The bridge takes its name from Kőröshegy, the village just south of its span. Its 1,872 metres make it Hungary's longest bridge and one of Central Europe's longest valley viaducts, a fact Hungarians often cite when crossing it on the M7. The structure has no expansion joints along its deck.
The structure serves motorway traffic only and pedestrians cannot access the roadway. Visitors wanting to view the height and span from below can find field paths in the valley beneath.
Three concrete plants supplied a total of 180,000 cubic meters of material during construction, with one positioned directly beside the building site. Lifts inside selected pillars allow maintenance teams access to the full height of the structure.
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