Aswan Bridge
The Aswan Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Nile river located in the city of Aswan, Egypt. It was built by the Holding Company for Roads, Bridges and Land Transport Projects.
History
The construction of the bridge dates back to 1996 when the Egyptian Government approved the project and allocated the necessary funding. A new location for the bridge was chosen 9.0 kilometers north of the city of Aswan, enabling officials to create a new corniche for Aswan and establish a group of much-needed tourist marinas to accommodate the floating hotels operating between Aswan and Luxor. The bridge was inaugurated in 2002.The suspension bridge utilizes cables to support the structure, an ancient Egyptian technique used since the Fifth Dynasty to secure sails. Its design almost perfectly resembles that of an Egyptian ship; from a distance, the bridge appears as an Egyptian sailing vessel floating on the river. The bridge is a distinctive aesthetic landmark that has greatly enhanced the city of Aswan, a city steeped in history.
Description
The Aswan Bridge is a 1.0 km length and it is surrounded by 10 km of roads. The two cable-stayed towers supporting the bridge structure are 75.0 meters high each, located at the same level in the middle of the box girder.A massive amount of reinforced concrete and reinforcing steel was used in its construction to ensure the bridge's efficiency. Approximately 25,000 cubic meters of reinforced concrete were used in the piles, columns, and abutments, along with 15,000 cubic meters of prestressed concrete, over 7,000 tons of reinforcing steel, and 900 tons of high-tensile steel cables. These materials, along with the bridge's supporting piers and expansion joints, were imported from France. The cost of these imported materials, paid for in hard currency, represented about 5% of the total bridge cost of 105 million Egyptian pounds. To construct the western side of the bridge and connect it to the main road, approximately 300,000 cubic meters of Aswan granite were excavated.