The 2.4-km-long Peljesac Bridge connects Croatia's mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula on the country's southern Adriatic coast.
Since it was inaugurated on July 26, 2022, the bridge has significantly improved people's lives, cut travel time to the Adriatic coast and increased economic opportunities for the region.
"This bridge is not a luxury, it is our necessity," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic when the bridge was opened. "This is a wonderful day for Croatia."
An aerial view of the Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, southern Croatia, July 26, 2022. /CFP
An aerial view of the Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, southern Croatia, July 26, 2022. /CFP
Constructed by a Chinese consortium led by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the bridge, the largest infrastructure project in Croatia, has been hailed as an example project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which envisions trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.
While building the bridge, the construction team took different measures to create an environmentally friendly site.
According to the website of China International Constructors Association, a bubble curtain, a measure to reduce underwater pile driving noise, was applied to decrease the disturbance to marine wildlife and neighboring residents. Besides, oil containment zones were set up at the site to prevent possible oil spills, and drilling waste was transported to the discharge point 20 nautical miles away for centralized discharge to reduce pollution to coastal water quality.
Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, southern Croatia, July 26, 2022. /CFP
Peljesac Bridge in Komarna, southern Croatia, July 26, 2022. /CFP
Selma Knudsen, a Croatian civil engineer, who worked as a commercial coordinator on the Peljesac Bridge project, said she gained a lot from the experience.
"There are no words that can explain the benefits I got from this work. This is the crown of my career, and I am always very emotional when I talk about the bridge," Knudsen said, adding that although she has worked on some other big projects in Europe, none compare with the Peljesac Bridge project in her home country.
"This bridge is the project of my life. I am so proud of my work there. It is an honor to be a part of this project," she said.
In the eyes of Knudsen, the bridge has brought many benefits to Croatians, as it greatly shortens the travel time to Dubrovnik and other cities in southern Croatia, promotes local transportation and tourism, and boosts economic development.
Life in Komarna and the surrounding areas used to be inanimate and spiritless during the cold winter days and there are few people there in winter, but life there now is active even in winter because of the Peljesac Bridge.
"That is a great benefit of the bridge. Thanks to the bridge, benefits will be bigger and bigger in the future," Knudsen said.
(With input from Xinhua)