September 15 (SeeNews) - Croatia launched a revamp of the bridge connecting the mainland to the country's biggest island of Krk, with works expected to last two years, state-owned motorway operator Hrvatske Autoceste (HAC) said on Tuesday.
The reconstruction will include pavement rehabilitation, replacement of asphalt covers and waterproofing, and rehabilitation and protection of concrete surfaces to limit the impact of salty seawater, HAC said in a statement.
Works are very complex and aim to increase the safety of the Krk Bridge, which has been in operation for some 40 years, and to protect its concrete structure from the adverse climate conditions.
In June, Croatia scrapped the toll tax on the Krk Bridge - the sole bridge in the country for the use of which the authorities used to charge a toll tax.
Back then, HAC signed 44.6 million kuna ($7.0 million/5.9 million euro) worth of contracts for the renovation of the bridge with a local consortium comprising Sitolor, Spegra and Geotehnika. It also hired local company Institut IGH to carry out the supervision of the construction works.
The 1.7-kilometre Krk bridge is a reinforced concrete arch bridge. The longer of its two arches (390 metres long) is the third longest concrete arch in the world, and the longest one outside China.
(1 euro = 7.53373 kuna)