In Salacgriva on the highway leading from Riga to Tallinn, the bridge over the Salaca River has finally opened. The cost of constructing the new bridge was 15 million euros, half of which was provided by Europe.
The bridge had long been in a semi-dilapidated state, as the central authorities of Latvia believed that the repair should be funded by the local government. The municipality of the impoverished Salacgriva countered that it did not have such funds. Moreover, the Via Baltica highway is an interstate route, so it should be repaired with state funds.
Riga and Salacgriva argued for several years until the Estonians, tired of waiting in line to cross the semi-closed bridge, filed an official complaint at the government level of both countries.
After that, the bridge was taken away from the municipality, the state was appointed as the owner, it was declared an important element of military mobility, and work began.
Reconstruction started in June 2024 with the construction of a temporary bridge. And already on Wednesday, November 12, the bridge was ceremoniously opened for traffic.
Currently, builders continue to improve the area, strengthen the slopes, build sidewalks under the bridge, and carry out other finishing works. They are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
They also took fish into account. During the spawning period, construction work in the Salaca River at night was prohibited, as lighting the river scared away the salmon.
The new four-span steel-reinforced concrete bridge has a total width of 14.5 meters, of which 8 meters is the roadway. Sidewalks 2.5 meters wide have been built on both sides, and above the third support, there is an expanded section 4.5 meters wide, forming a viewing platform.
The old bridge over the Salaca in Salacgriva was built in 1960 and was under the management of the municipality until 2024. During its entire operation, no major repairs were carried out, so the structure had significantly deteriorated.
