Rio-Antirrio bridge turning 20
After robots were used to check the state of the pylons submerged 65 meters below sea level and alpinists completed their annual overhaul last week, a team of divers will be deployed on the massive maintenance project of the Rio-Antirrio bridge, which turns 20 next month.
Designed and built with cutting-edge solutions by French and Greek engineers to withstand high seismic activity, tectonic shifts and great depths, the bridge was not just a feat of engineering but is also a formidable maintenance challenge.
“The chief concern is about access, either below the deck, high up on the pillars, or deep in the sea. Not only for people but also for getting the necessary materials where they need to go and removing materials that need to be disposed of,” says Panos Loukas, the CEO of Gefyra SA, which is responsible for the bridge’s maintenance and operation.
Connecting the western port city of Patra and the western Greek mainland across the Gulf of Corinth, the 2,880 meter Rio-Antirrio bridge – one of the longest suspended bridges in the world – was inaugurated on August 12, 2004 to mark the start of the Athens Olympics and what was widely seen as the dawn of a new era for Greece.
“This year’s anniversary is packed with symbolism,” says Loukas, noting that the 20th anniversary of the Greek-French project coincides with the Paris Games.
