Category: Infrastructure

Infrastructure: Rīga – Bridges over the Daugava – The Akmens tilts

Image: The Akmens tilts - Stone Bridge - in Rīgā. Double click on the image to enlarge.

The connection of the districts to the right and left banks of the Daugava in Rīgā has always been economically important. In the past, a pontoon bridge connected the east and west of the city. There was also the Zemgale Bridge, which was designed as a combined rail and pedestrian bridge. The Zemgale Bridge was destroyed in 1944. Therefore, in Soviet times, from 1951, the planning of a new road bridge over the Daugava, today’s Akmens tilts – stone bridge. This bridge followed the course of the pontoon bridge from the old town to the Torņakalns district.

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Infrastructure: Rīga – Bridges over the Daugava – The Vanšu tilts

Image: The Vanšu Bridge in Rīgā. In the background you can see the SWEDBANK and both Z-Towers. Double click on the image to enlarge.

The Vanšu Bridge was opened in July 1981. Latvia was still part of the Soviet Union at that time. The bridge was named after the Russian-Soviet writer Maxim Gorky. Technically, the bridge is still a masterpiece today. It is designed as a cable-stayed bridge with only one pylon at a height of 109 meters. At the time of its opening, it was the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe with a length of 625 meters. The Vanšu Bridge is the northernmost of a total of 4 road bridges that cross the Daugava in the urban area of Rīgā.

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