Rędziński Bridge

On the north-western edge of Wrocław a white pylon 122 metres high, the tallest in Poland, rises above the Oder. Hanging from it, the Rędziński Bridge carries the A8 motorway over the river and over Rędzin Island with its historic locks. It is not a bridge to stroll across, but seen from the riverbanks it is one of the most striking modern structures in the country.

A record-breaking structure

The bridge was designed by the "Mosty – Wrocław" team led by Professor Jan Biliszczuk of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, and built by Mostostal Warszawa and the Spanish firm Acciona. The crossing itself is 612 metres long, and 1,742 metres including the approach viaducts. The reinforced-concrete deck hangs from 160 stay cables with a combined length of 25 km, all anchored to a single pylon standing on the island between the main channel of the Oder and the locks.

The list of records is long: Poland's tallest pylon, the country's longest reinforced-concrete cable-stayed bridge (the cable-stayed section measures 2 × 256 m), the longest Polish cable-stayed bridge with a single pylon and the longest reinforced-concrete span in Poland. With a surface of about 70,000 m² it is also regarded as the largest reinforced-concrete bridge by area in the world.

Construction

The contract was signed on 20 May 2008. In May 2010 a flood swamped the building site, but the structure itself was undamaged and work was delayed by just over a month. The bridge opened on 31 August 2011 and cost PLN 576 million. The name, used informally by the builders, was confirmed by residents in a public vote, winning 55 percent.

Tripto tip

The bridge is part of the motorway and has no footpaths, so you have to admire it from below. There are good views of the pylon and cables from the banks of the Oder around Rędzin and Kozanów and from the Las Pilczycki nature reserve. Paddling under the bridge by kayak gives another memorable angle. Right beside it is the Rędzin barrage, with a weir and two locks built in 1913–1917, the last barrage on the Oder within Wrocław. Half an hour is enough just to look, but a walk along the river is easy to extend.