Budapest’s Chain Bridge is accessible again! – PHOTOS

Photo: FB

A major milestone has been reached in the renovation of the Chain Bridge: the new steel roadway has been completed in record time, replacing the old, ageing reinforced concrete roadway. The inset roadbeds form a continuous section along the entire length of the bridge, making it possible to walk along the Chain Bridge. The bridge deck is expected to be open to traffic by the end of the year. Read more below.

Less than a year after the demolition of the track structure began, and only 11 months after the first steel element of the new roadway was installed, 94 steel track panels were installed along the entire length of the Chain Bridge, replacing the reinforced concrete structure. These steel plates, stiffened by trapezoidal ribs – known as orthotropic – are much lighter than their predecessors, reducing the bridge’s self-weight and allowing the steel to be better combined with the remaining elements of the historic Chain Bridge. The installation of the elements started in the middle of the bridge, where the demolition work began, and then proceeded in two directions, writes BKK.

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Major stone work on the tram underpass is now complete

The steelwork repairs are still continuing in the coastal openings, but between the two piers the new steel elements, the repaired remaining structures and the protection of the lower section of the chains against corrosion are nearing completion. Corrosion protection work on this section of the painting dams is now 80 percent complete.

Major on-site stone works, timed to coincide with the replacement of trams 2 and 2M, were successfully completed next to the Pest tram underpass. The parapet walls and the stone surfaces of the adjoining walkway have been cleaned, the gaps have been filled and new plinth stones have been laid. The broken stones on the front wall of the tram tunnel have been repaired and replaced, and the renovated balustrades on the south side are being replaced.

The renovation of the Chain Bridge could not be postponed any longer, so the reconstruction of the Danube crossing by A-Híd Zrt. started in spring 2021. The modernisation of one of Hungary’s most important cultural heritage sites and landmarks is scheduled to last until 2023, but the roadway will be completed by the end of this year.