Ostrovul Mare Bridge, Suspension bridge in Mehedinți County, Romania.
The Ostrovul Mare Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing an arm of the Danube River that links two riverbanks. The structure uses steel cables and towers to support the road deck, which carries regional traffic across the water.
Construction of the Ostrovul Mare Bridge began in 1988, entrusted to Hidroconstrucția SA and Energomontaj SA, but work slowed after the 1989 Revolution and effectively resumed only in 1997. The design by engineer Nicolae Dumitrescu of IPTANA used cables left over from the Iron Gate II power station and V-shaped inclined pillars for wind stability. The bridge opened in November 2003 and was officially received on 5 December 2003.
The bridge takes its name from Ostrovu Mare Island, where a workers' colony called Porțile de Fier II housed over 10,000 people during the peak of the Iron Gate II hydroelectric project. Since 28 December 2011 it has provided direct access to the Porțile de Fier II border crossing, opened by Romanian minister Traian Igaș and Serbian minister Ivica Dačić.
The crossing is accessible to vehicles and provides a direct route over the river for local road traffic. Visitors should note this is a functional road bridge and was not designed as a tourist attraction.
The bridge was the first suspension bridge ever built in Romania, completed in 1988–2003 using steel cables left over from the Iron Gate II power station. Its inclined V-shaped pylons were chosen for wind stability, and the border post it serves only opened to road traffic on 28 December 2011.
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