Europa - Bridges

 The first stamp features Megyeri Bridge, which is 1,861 metres long and is Hungary’s second-longest bridge and the longest bridge over a river in the country. Horizontally, the bridge is composed of five dilation sections: two end parts, which stand in flood areas, the central section on Szentendre Island, and two other parts which span the main branch of the Danube and the Szentendre branch of the Danube. The 600-metre-long structure with a 300-metre central opening over the main branch of the Danube is the first cable-stayed bridge in Hungary and its 100-metre tall pylons form large letter “A”s. On one leg of the pylon, there are stairs and on the other a lift. The bridge was built as part of the northern sector of the M0 ring motorway around Budapest between 2006 and 2008. The outstanding engineering achievement is a worthy member of the family of bridges over the Danube.

The other stamp presents Kőröshegy Valley Bridge, which is 1,872 metres long. This is currently Hungary’s longest bridge and is located on the section of the M7 motorway running along Lake Balaton near Kőröshegy and Balatonföldvár. The 17-arched, pre-stressed monolithic concrete structure was built between 2004 and 2007. The span between the pillars is 120 metres and the tallest pillar is 80 metres high. There are stairs in every pillar and a lift in two of them to facilitate inspecting the bridge. As a result of a 3% incline, there is a 53-metre difference in height between the two ends of the bridge. Taking account of environmental considerations, all the rainwater from the bridge is collected and treated in several stages before being allowed back into the natural surroundings. It is a unique and remarkably impressive feat of civil engineering.

Stamp Issue: 2018.05.02

Bridges bring together II

The Principality of Liechtenstein and its neighbour Switzerland are joined by several bridges over the Rhine, the border river. In the second part of the “Bridges bring together” series Philately Liechtenstein turns its attention to the “Foot and Cycle Bridge” (CHF 0.85) “Buchs-Schaan“ (CHF 1.00) and also the “Rhine Bridge” (CHF 1.40) “Bendern-Haag“ (CHF 1.90).

Until well into the 19th century the Rhine could be crossed only on ferries. These crossings were not without danger: in 1587 85 people from Werdenberg drowned in a ferry accident on the way home after a pilgrimage to the Church of St. Mary in Bendern. In 1868 the first bridge was built at the Rhine crossing between Bendern (Liechtenstein) and Haag (Switzerland). It was burned down in 1894, whereupon a new wooden bridge was erected in 1896. This one collapsed in 1974 after another fire. Fortunately the concrete bridge of today depicted on the commemoratives was built in 1965, so that the transport link between the two countries operated without interruption at the time of the disaster.

Since the spring of 2009 pedestrians and cyclists in the Rhine local recreation area have enjoyed an attractive link between Schaan (Liechtenstein) and Buchs (Switzerland). The 132-metres long bridge weighing 120 tonnes is suspended over the water on two transversely positioned steel pylons. The bridge itself is, so to speak, a welcome spinoff from a much larger construction project, for it represents the visible heart of an otherwise underground steam pipeline. This just six kilometres long pipeline supplies three industrial undertakings in Liechtenstein with process steam from the refuse incineration plant in Buchs. The annual supply of some 100 tonnes of steam is equivalent to about 12 million litres of heating oil and contributes every year to the avoidance of 20,000 tonnes of CO2.

Source: Liechtenstein Post

Stamp Issue: 2014.03.10

Girder bridge

The next issue of the series “Architectural constructions. Bridges” is devoted to the girder bridges. Bridges with frameworks, the main load-carrying structures of which are beams or girders, are the most widespread in a modern bridge building. They are used in complex road interchanges. Distinctive feature of the girder system is that only vertical loads are transferred from the bridge superstructures to the piers and horizontal one are absent. Load transfer is carried out by a flexural element of a construction. Bridge structure depends on the size of overlapping of superstructures, the load on the bridge and the intensity of movement.

Depicted on the stamps:  

1. Jubilee Bridge over the River Volga in Yaroslavl 
2. Bridge across the Moscow Canal in the village Khlebnikovo Moscow region 
3. Viaduct over the valley of the river Matsesta in Sochi 
4. Bridge across the Kola Bay in Murmansk. 

Stamp Issue: 2010.09.15