Santakos bridge steel structure links both banks of Nemunas

Kaunas’ Santakos bridge has reached a key construction milestone, with its 6,500-tonne steel superstructure linking both banks of the Nemunas River, LRT reported, citing the Kaunas municipality.

The 47-metre bridge is being built between Užnemunės Street and Brastos Street. It will connect a tunnel with a viaduct and a connecting road on the opposite side leading towards a roundabout.

The municipality said welding the superstructure and pulling it onto its supports took two years and involved 100 workers.

Construction crews still need to concrete the retaining walls at the bridge approaches, install safety measures and attach architectural elements.

The bridge will have four traffic lanes, as well as pedestrian and bicycle paths. It will connect to two junctions on the opposite banks of the Nemunas: a two-lane roundabout on the Brastos Street side, and a tunnel and viaduct providing uninterrupted traffic on the Užnemunės Street side.

The main construction work is scheduled to be completed and the bridge opened to traffic by the end of this year.