A new bridge over the Danube, Apollo, has been opened in Bratislava

BRATISLAVA - This afternoon, the fifth bridge over the Danube, named Apollo, was ceremoniously opened in Bratislava. The first cars will cross the bridge on Monday morning; for now, pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers have been able to try it out. The bridge, which connects the wider center of Bratislava and the largest Slovak housing estate of Petržalka, is expected to accommodate more than 37,000 cars daily.
The total length of the bridge, including the concrete parts at both ends, is 835 meters, with the peak of the bridge arch reaching 36 meters. The riverbed at the location of the Danube crossing is approximately 300 meters wide. The construction costs of the bridge were about four billion Slovak crowns.
Bratislava's city officials and residents of the Slovak capital expect the new bridge to improve the traffic situation in the city. The flow of traffic between the city center and Petržalka should especially improve, thus alleviating the congestion on the busy Apollo Bridge, which sees approximately 80,000 cars daily.
The idea of building a fifth bridge over the Danube has been considered for more than 30 years. The final decision to start construction was made in January 1998, with preparations taking place from 1998 to 2001. At the end of 2002, a contract was signed for the project delivery, and construction began in February 2003. Last year, the turning of the bridge before its anchoring on the Petržalka side sparked great interest, watched by hundreds of Bratislavans.