Road and Railway Bridge over the Velika Morava River
Year: 2023–2025
Location: Railway line Mala Krsna – Majdanpek – Bor – Vražogrnac – Rasputnica 2 at km 82+142, and State Road IIB class No. 377 at km 8+359, Požarevac (connection to State Road No. 33) – Osipaonica
Client: “Infrastructure of Serbian Railways” JSC
Responsible Designer: Nikola Đorđević
Project Description
Design documentation for the rehabilitation of the steel structure and piers of the combined road–railway bridge over the Velika Morava River, located at km 82+142 of railway line No. 218 (Mala Krsna – Majdanpek – Bor – Vražogrnac – Rasputnica 2) and at km 8+359 of State Road IIB class No. 377 (Požarevac – Osipaonica, connection to State Road No. 33).
Bridge History
The bridge structure has been constructed, demolished, and rebuilt several times throughout its history. The first bridge dates back to 1892, when it was built by the Požarevac District. During load testing, the original steel road bridge failed, after which strengthening of the steel structure was carried out.
In 1911, construction of the Mala Krsna – Požarevac railway line and a new combined road–railway bridge began, but the Balkan Wars and World War I prevented its completion. The bridge was demolished by the Serbian army in 1915 during retreat, rebuilt by German forces, and demolished again in 1918. It was reconstructed in 1924 by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and destroyed once more by German forces in 1944. Remnants of the demolished steel structure are still visible in the river today.
After World War II, the bridge was reconstructed for both road and railway traffic. As no original design documentation existed, a comprehensive inspection and analysis were conducted in 1980 by the CIP Transportation Institute, including geometric surveying, material testing, load testing, and static verification calculations. Strengthening measures were designed and partially implemented in 1981.
The last major rehabilitation works were carried out in 1992, when the timber deck was replaced with a steel deck and asphalt pavement, based on the Main Design prepared by D.P. Mostprojekt, Belgrade. During these works, corrosion protection was renewed on parts of the steel structure.
Geotechnical investigations conducted in 1997 and subsequent underwater inspections confirmed progressive riverbed scouring around pier S3, with the riverbed currently at elevation +66.75 m.
General Bridge Data
The bridge is a steel Gerber-type structure with three spans of 62.4 m each, with a total length of 187.2 m between bearing axes. The main load-bearing system consists of two lattice girders with cantilevers and a suspended central span. The structure is symmetric about the bridge centerline.
The roadway deck is located at the level of the lower chord and consists of transverse and longitudinal I-section girders connected by riveted joints.
