Learn about the South Bridge Prior to Its Opening

On 17 November the South Bridge and the three-level elevated roads over Krasta iela and Maskavas iela will be opened to traffic. This is the first traffic object of such scale and complexity in Latvia.

To inform residents on new capabilities for crossing the Daugava, right now the Riga City Council invites drivers to familiarize themselves with the traffic scheme on the Riga City Council webpage, in order to find out how to cross the new bridge and choose the right course.

On the Riga City Council webpage www.riga.lv, one can see the South Bridge traffic scheme, as it will be after the bridge opening, while construction of the bridge main access roads on both banks of the Daugava is going on. Besides, residents can virtually try the entire South thoroughfare, as it will be in 2011, after completing construction of the main access roads on both banks of the Daugava.

The South Bridge traffic scheme and the informative and educative interactive visualization of the South thoroughfare are available on the webpage in the section Learn About the South Bridge Prior to Its Opening!

The interactive visualization allows seeing not only the South Bridge and its elevated roads, but also the main access roads on both banks of the Daugava after their construction – how the new Slāvu railway flyover, the three-level traffic junction in place of the Slāvu rotation circle and a new motorway from Ziepniekkalna iela to Bauskas iela with the two-level crossing will look.

The South Bridge Opening for Traffic and Pedestrians

The first stage of the South thoroughfare – a bridge over the Daugava and the elevated roads over Krasta iela and Maskavas iela will be opened for traffic by midnight of 17 November, whereas, for pedestrians, the bridge will be opened at 18.00 on 17 November.

On the South Bridge

The total length of the South Bridge and the elevated roads over Krasta iela and Maskavas iela is 2.5 km. The bridge has three traffic lanes in each direction, a bicycle path and a pedestrian pavement on each side. The South Bridge is 803 m long and 34.28 m wide. The speed limit on the bridge will be 70 km/h.

The task of the South Bridge is to secure communication between the Pārdaugava south-western part and the Riga right bank regions – the Latgales and Vidzemes Urban Districts, the Northern Region – without crossing the city centre and, thus, reducing traffic jams.  The bridge will also allow bypassing the city centre for the transit traffic to Jelgava, Bauska, Ogre, Sigulda, Saulkrasti, Vecmilgrāvis and Carnikava. The new bridge will allow reducing the transport flow at Krasta iela and 11 Novembra krastmala, as well as over the Island Bridge.

The bridge sketch project is elaborated by Tiltprojekts SIA, as the chief designer, headed by Georgijs Rusinovs. The so-called truss bar or the small suspension bridge system of the bridge construction was created by the St. Petersburg Design Institute Institut Giprostroimost Sankt-Peterburg under the direction of the Chief Engineer Igor Kolyushev. The Chief Architect of the bridge is Ingurds Lazdiņš from the Arhitektonika Design Group. The General Contractor of the bridge construction is Dienvidu Tilts AS, where six leading Latvian construction companies have united, which are specialising in the construction of bridges in particular and whose workers are professionals in the industry with an extensive experience of work both in Latvia and abroad. These are: Skonto Būve SIA, Latvijas Tilti AS, BMGS AS, Tilts SIA, Rīgas Tilti SIA and Viadukts SIA. Construction of the South Bridge was started in November 2004.

Pursuant to the Riga City Council resolution, the South Bridge construction was ordered by the Riga City Council City Development Department. In its turn, construction of the main access roads on both banks of the Daugava was ordered by the Riga City Council Transport Department.

On the Main Access Roads

As is informed, this year construction of the main access roads on the Daugava right bank, or the so-called Slāvu transport junction, is started, which includes reconstruction of the Slāvu railway flyover, by arranging eight driving lanes, and construction of the three-level traffic junction in place of the current Slāvu rotation circle. By now a temporary connection from the South Bridge to Bauskas iela of the main access roads on the Daugava left bank has been built. The Riga City Council Transport Department has announced an open tender for construction of the main access roads on the Daugava left bank, or the main transport junction in the Zemgale direction, from the bridge to Ziepniekkalna iela, which includes construction of the two-level traffic junction on Jāņa Čakstes gatve and Bauskas iela, a new motorway to Ziepniekkalna iela, as well as the two-level traffic junction on Jāņa Čakstes gatve and Ziepniekkalna iela.

The information is prepared by:
Riga City Council
Transport Department

How to Cross the South Bridge
Traffic Arrangement Scheme on the Daugava Right Bank
Traffic Arrangement Scheme on the Daugava Left Bank