The Pelješac Bridge is a part of the national road which goes around the Neum Corridor. It is a part of the project called "Road Connection with Southern Dalmatia". The project includes the construction of the bridge, access roads to the bridge as well as the Ston bypass, which has enabled the establishment of a strong road connection between the separated parts of the land territory of the Republic of Croatia. The 32.5 kilometers long two-lane state road connects the far south and is an essential prerequisite for the development of the mainland and islands of the Dubrovnik area. The 2404 meters long Pelješac Bridge is the most challenging part of the project and it crosses a sea strait – the Mali Ston Channel. The project "Road Connection with Southern Dalmatia" is a strategic interest of the Republic of Croatia. It is also located on one of the European transport corridors, therefore it has been largely financed from the EU funds.
The width of the sea channel at the bridge site is 2140 meters, and the average sea depth is 27 meters. A waterway passes through the bay, which is protected as a special nature reserve: the designated navigation passage is 200 meters wide and 55 meters tall. The foundation soil, which consists of deep silt and clay deposits above a rock layer, was a challenge to the designers, as were the seismicity of the location and a significant likelihood of strong winds. The task of bridging the sea channel in such complex circumstances was achieved through a unique construction consisting of a suspension bridge with six pylons and five main openings measuring 285 meters each, on deep foundations built on driven piles.
There is a total of 13 openings with start and end support on bridge abutments and a total of 12 in-between support elements. The concept of a bridge without a pronounced central span, symmetrical and with no extremely tall pylon verticals, with a series of identical spans over the central part of the channel and with clearly defined, repetitive elements of pillars, girders and stay cables was adopted. The construction of the bridge started mid-2018 and ended in early 2022. The investor of the entire project was Hrvatske ceste, a Croatian company for the management, construction and maintenance of state roads, while the main contractor was the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation, alongside which numerous Croatian companies and individuals worked on the project.
Dr. Goran Puž, Assist. Prof., Graduate Civil Engineer
President of the Management Board of Hrvatske ceste
