by DoDo
Sun Sep 14th, 2008 at 04:06:12 AM EST
Today (Saturday 13 September), there was an open day on the M0 North Danube Bridge, soon to be opened as Megyeri híd, despite American comedian Stephen Colbert winning the bridge naming contest, twice (and teaching his voting fans that híd = bridge). Bikers could cycle across where soon the steel avalache of the CO2 machines will roll.
(I wrote about the bridge and Colbert with some photos I made during construction in Bridge Blogging: Stephen Colbert Bridge)
Here is a series made along the Western approach:
The Western approach was subject to the first significant anti-highway protests around Budapest. But, the region Northwest of Budapest being an upper-middle-class one, these were strongly NIMBY in nature.
The bridge crosses the Danube across the Southern end of a large island (the cable-stayed main bridge is across the Eastern arm). However, that island is both a natural reserve and a place to collect clean groundwater as drinking water for the city. So the decision to build pylons and a construction basis on it was strongly protested by environmentalists. The construction firms were at least forced to follow strict rules on discharge of materials and chemicals.
Here is a look over the Western arm of the Danube, with some smaller islands:
Before leaving the bridge, here is another series - a study of cable-stays:
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Let me end the diary with a guessing game: what's this?
(Bike transport on a Budapest suburban train, 2008... rotated 90 degrees. Notice how I placed the back wheel outside the railings: I had to, otherwise the chain and the gear would sit up on it...)
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All previous Bridge Blogging (by PeWi, unless indicated otherwise):
2008-05-17 by Jerome a Paris: Der Garten Der Zwei Ufer (Strasbourg-Kehl pedestrian bridge)
2008-02-10 by DoDo: Stephen Colbert Bridge
2008-01-11: Bridges to Nowhere (and baby announcement)
2007-06-27 by Helen: Lost in France : Sails of the Massif (Millau bridge)
2007-03-29: Über sieben Brücken musst du gehn (bridges in Scotland)
2007-03-19 by canberra boy: Sydney Harbour Bridge 75th anniversary
2006-02-10: Kashmir earthquake aftermath
2006-01-27 by Jerome a Paris: Bridge Blogging - Chavez's Achilles' Heel
2005-12-28 by Jerome a Paris: Thomas Viaduct (by Jerome a Paris)
2005-12-01 by DoDo: Calatrava's Twisted Mind
2005-11-03: Wobbly (London Millenium Bridge)
2005-10-27: Parallel lines (bridge poems)
2005-10-19: Galloping Gertie
2005-10-13: animal bridges
2005-10-06: Remagen
2005-09-29: Transporter bridge in Middlesbrough
2005-09-22: Lyonel Feininger edition
2005-09-15: Activities on Brooklyn Bridge
2005-09-08: Bridge of Alcántara
2005-09-01: Tyne Swing Bridge
2005-08-25: Müngstener Brücke
2005-08-18: Mostar Bridge