Upgrade set to start of Budapest’s Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Budapest’s iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge that was opened in 1849 is set for a €73 million upgrade starting this summer, according to Hungarian media. Work will include revamping of a nearby tunnel in the Hungarian capital with completion set for the end of 2019. The suspension Chain Bridge spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest and was designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark following an initiative by the Count István Széchenyi. It is a larger scale version of Clark's earlier Marlow B
April 4, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
RSSBudapest’s iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge that was opened in 1849 is set for a €73 million upgrade starting this summer, according to Hungarian media.

Work will include revamping of a nearby tunnel in the Hungarian capital with completion set for the end of 2019.

The suspension Chain Bridge spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest and was designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark following an initiative by the Count István Széchenyi. It is a larger scale version of Clark's earlier Marlow Bridge, across the River Thames in Marlow, near London. Its 202m centre span was one of the longest in the world when bridge was opened.

It was designed in sections and shipped from the United Kingdom for assemble in Budapest. The two-lane deck is nearly 15m wide and the iron chains on which the road-deck hangs are supported by two 48m river piers in classicist style. The bridge was rebuilt in the late 1940s after being blown up by the retreating German army in early 1945.
Road Structures

Related Content

  • Pre-stressed bridge decks use modular formwork system
    July 9, 2012
    Imaginative formwork, often using modular components, is helping to shape some challenging bridges worldwide. Patrick Smith reports Traffic volumes in and around Prague have swollen massively in recent years, pushing the existing road network to the limits of its capacity. To permanently ease congestion in the Czech capital's centre, a multi-lane orbital motorway is under construction as a high capacity bypass for central Prague and to link up all the motorways and other major highways radiating from the ci
    Read More
  • Widening and upgrade for highway in Nicaragua’s capital
    January 27, 2017
    Nicaragua is continuing to develop its highway network, this time with a major project planned for the capital, Managua. A loan worth close to US$107.5 million from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) is to help pay for the project. The work calls for the upgrade and widening of the Pista Juan Pablo II route running through Managua. The 9.55km stretch of road will benefit from three additional lanes, helping to boost capacity and reduce congestion and delays at peak periods. Safety pr
    Read More
  • Australia road contract for German firm Hochtief
    September 15, 2017
    German firm Hochtief will see its Australian subsidiary CPB Contractors carry out a US$294 million (A$365 million) project on a stretch of Australia’s Pacific Highway. The package of works involves widening and upgrading a 34km section of the highway, with construction now starting and due for completion during 2020. The improved route will be widened so that it has four lanes, with two in either direction and will offer increased capacity as well as better safety for drivers.
    Read More
  • Alberta’s peaceful partnership
    May 4, 2020
    A bridge project in northern Canada threw up some unexpected challenges, reports David Arminas, from the banks of the Peace River in Alberta
    Read More

Highlighted Content