In accordance with the Belgrade Spatial Plan for 2021, an international
competition for a design proposal was launched in 2004. Belgrade’s authorities
sought to get with this competition a bridge as a landmark and not just a poor
exclusively engineering solution. The design of the Ponting Company Maribor,
made by Viktor Markelj and Peter Gabrijelčič, was selected from the eleven
competition contributions. The awarded proposal was finalized in 2006. The
contractor consortium POOR-SCT-DSD started the construction works in 2008
and the bridge was open for traffic by 1st January 2012.
The 207 m high pylon, erected to enable two asymmetrical spans to cross the
river by means of 80 steel backstay cables, defines the image of the bridge.
The Ada Bridge is 920 m long, with a span of 375 metrer. The carriageway is
45 metres wide, with six lanes for road vehicles, two light rail railway tracks,
and two pedestrian and cycling paths.^64 In accordance with its technical and
construction specifics, this is the largest bridge in the world suspended by just
one pylon.
Several reputable media and professional journals presented the bridge in
a positive light, emphasising its technical achievements, uniqueness and
importance as a recognizable symbol of the city. A similar opinion is shared
by the citizens of Belgrade, which is confirmed by their massive participation
in the survey about the name of the bridge, organised on 13th and 14th August
- During the opening days about 13.000 people were surveyed.^65 About
3.350 of them proposed the name “Ada Bridge”. Among the suggestions was
the “Harp”, then “Most of Patriarch Pavle,” “Most of Zoran Djindjic”, “Giraffe”,
“Fan”, “Andrićev Bridge” and other names. The official name “Bridge across
Ada” was finally adopted on 15th December 2011.^66
However, the financial aspect of the project was strongly criticized by the
public. The initial investment planned was € 161 million, but in 2010 the
amount increased to € 450 million. The main question was whether Belgrade
needed such a bridge, or a more simple and cheaper proposal designed by local
Milena Vukmirović
Fig. 13, 14
The Ada Bridge. (Arhitektura)