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The list of capital bridges of more than half a century has recently been enriched with a name. By this criterion, “Gazelle” joined the Old Railway, Branko, Old Sava and Pancevo bridges. It is one of the busiest and most important urban bridges, but its destination is certainly not in doubt. Unlike her, Stari železnički is awaiting a final decision on what will happen to her, while a verdict has already been delivered for Stari Savski: the authorities will cut her construction and move her to the mainland. During that time, the construction of “Pancevo” cries out for a renovation. And it’s not that big works on new and existing Belgrade bridges aren’t being announced, but by no means should they finally start.
Authorities have been announcing for a long time: “Next year, the removal of the Old Sava Bridge will begin and the construction of a new, much more traffic-intensive one will begin.” There have been no more concrete steps on the ground since 2016, after then-Mayor Siniša Mali released the story of the new arch bridge. But, in the previous four years, there have been variations on the theme of the appearance of the new and the fate of the Old Sava, as well as the dispersion of the deadlines. If the Malian announcements from the interview with our newspaper in September 2016 had come true, Belgrade would already have a multi-story bridge on the site of the Old Sava River, built on the model of Tehran’s “Bridge of Nature”. The idea of the city leaders was to take advantage of the construction of the current green arch bridge, to raise its recognizable arch “up” and increase the traffic capacity of the road construction. But, just a few months later, it became clear that the city still had another plan for Stari Savski: remove it from its current location, demolish its pillars, and build an entirely new bridge. For such a maneuver, the leaders argued that the current piers atop the wooden piles were in ruins and that for the needs of a larger river path, new piers were needed, as well as a greater distance between them. The counterargument from some experts that all of Venice was on that basis and hasn’t collapsed to this day came early. However, in the meantime, the conceptual solution for the new Sava Bridge was presented on the site of the old one. Ada Ciganlija and New Belgrade or between Zemun and Lida. Meanwhile, Siniša Mali went to Serbia’s finance chief, and the deadlines for the new arch bridge promised by his team fell into the water. A green arch bridge still resists the water, and in the meantime some new plans have been made for it: the latest announcements say that in 2021 the cutting of its construction will begin, which will be transported to a temporary location in Palilula, while a lawn at Usce he was seen for his future permanent direction. . The authorities assure: this is the result of the survey in which the citizens decided on the fate of Old Sava. Many doubted its credibility, and moreover, it is not a survey on the future location of this bridge, which was mentioned during the Siniša Mali cabinet. Because, in his mandate, it was pointed out that the vast majority of citizens supported the idea of Old Sava sailing towards the area between Ada and New Belgrade. Now another story.
The latest announcement from the city fathers is that Ada and the most populous municipality will be connected in 2022 by an undulating bicycle and pedestrian bridge, the conceptual solution of which was announced this spring.
For now, however, it is uncertain when the dismantling of Old Sava will begin, whose capacity and the noise produced by the trams on it do not correspond to the growing “Belgrade on water”. It is also uncertain when construction on its successor will begin (the latest announcement, which, like all previous ones, should be taken with a grain of salt, also says this work will begin in 2021). It is only certain that cutting and disassembling the green arch will not be possible until the complete renovation of Sava Square is completed.
Pancevo has been waiting for years
“Gazelle”, which turned 50 in early December, was completely rebuilt in 2011, and it was later noted that it would not need a detailed renovation for 60 years. A few years ago, the pedestrian and bicycle lane on the Branko Bridge was renovated and devastated for years, but the Pancevo Bridge still awaits its best days. And they will be welcomed only when a new bridge is built over Ada Huja. Because, as city leaders point out, there is no information on how to start a detailed renovation of the “Pancevo”, important for traffic, until the banks of the Danube in Belgrade get a bridge near Ada Huja. Prone to pompous, often unrealistic announcements, city fathers announced the start of construction for 2019 and 2020, but as with the new Sava, there were none of those announcements. The new deadline for the cornerstone of the bridge over Ada Huja is now 2021. And if we know the dynamics of the construction, even if the construction of a new river road in Palilula starts next year, it is unlikely that it will be completed before 2024 Count on a detailed reconstruction of “Pancevo”. Authorities keep repeating that the Pancevo Bridge is safe for traffic and is regularly maintained, but those who cross it every day see something completely different.
The oldest out of the office
The oldest bridge is the Old Railway, built as part of the construction of the first railway in independent Serbia. The bridge as we know it today is not the one that was built at the end of the 19th century, because, as the longest-lasting capital and important railway, it is also the victim of further Belgrade destruction. Due to that, its construction was modified several times. The old railway, although it received a successor in the New Railway modality a few decades ago, was at the service of the Serbian Railways until the second half of 2018, when the closure of the Main Railway stopped traffic through it. (At the end of the 19th century, the first Serbian train to Vienna roared through it, and the last passenger train from the old Main to Budapest passed through it.) In previous years, as part of the promotion of “Belgrade on the water”, this bridge was presented as a future pedestrian and tourist attraction with cafes and viewpoints.
Đilasov, Zarićev, Zemunski …
The bridges of Belgrade are not without traffic, but also rich in nicknames. Thus, for many, Stari Savski is Lučni or Zarićev (according to Miladin Zarić, who prevented it from flying), and even German (because it was built during the occupation). The Ada bridge is unofficially from Djilas (in honor of Dragan Djilas, during whose mayoralty it was built), and Pupinov is also known as Zemunski. Colloquially, the King Alexander Bridge was once known as Zemunski.
We have all known Brankov as such for decades, but his official name is Bridge over the Sava River below Brankova Street.
Old locations, new construction
The three bridges over the coasts are not the original versions in these places. Apart from the Old Railway, Brankov and Pancevo suffered the same fate. On the pillars of the Branko Bridge during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1934, Belgrade’s first permanent road colossus was built – the King Alexander Bridge. This suspension chain bridge, one of the most beautiful in Belgrade, was demolished in 1941. After liberation, during the communist era in 1956, a new road was built on its piers, which in 1979 obtained a traffic structure parallel, the Branko Bridge as we know it today. Enthusiasts and defenders of the ancient Belgrade tradition have been advocating unofficial initiatives for years to rebuild the ancient King Alexander Bridge chained and suspended on the original pillars.
After the Second World War, the King Peter Bridge also received a successor in the form of Pancevo. This Danube arch bridge was built in late 1935, but it was also destroyed in World War II. After the war, in 1946, Pancevo was built in its place.
The largest “model” over the rivers of Belgrade in recent years is the Bridge over Ada, featured in numerous videos, video promotions and commercials.
IN ANCIENT TIMES
Old Railway (more versions since 1884)
King Alexander / Brankov Bridge (original 1934, current 1979)
King Peter the Second Bridge / Pancevo (original 1935, today 1946)
Old Sava (1942)
The Gazelle (1970)
New railway (1980)
Adi Bridge (2012)
Pupin Bridge (2014)
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