Reconstruction of a movable bridge over the Venta river

The movable bridge across the river Venta in the city of Ventspils was reopened after reconstruction in December 2010. The design for the reconstruction was based on several studies performed in 2007 and 2008 by Witteveen+Bos.

The reconstruction involved replacing the entire superstructure. A wider roadway was built to create room for four lanes, a footpath and a combined path for pedestrians and cyclists. Because of the increased load, all points of support had to be reinforced with screw injection piles. The movable section consists of a new double-bascule bridge with a total passage width of 30 metres. State of the art techniques were used in the design of the steel decks, the mechanical moving parts and the electrical installation. The bridge is controlled remotely from the harbour master’s office, which is located three kilometres downstream.

Witteveen+Bos Latvia began work on the technical design and specifications in 2008. The bridge’s total length is 280 metres and the deck is 20 metres wide. The substructure consists of two abutments, six intermediate piers and two bascule piers. Work on the bridge began in mid-2009 and was completed eighteen months later. The opening ceremony was accompanied by an impressive light, sound and fireworks show.