2004: A Major Bridge in Greece is Opened Just in Time for that Year’s Summer Olympics in Athens

August 12, 2004

In Greece, a bridge crossing the Gulf of Corinth (an inlet of the Ionian Sea) was opened to the public. This bridge serves as a link between the towns of Rio (also known as Rion) on the Pelponnese peninsula and Antirrio on the country’s western mainland. The Rio-Antirrio Bridge carries the Greek Motorway 5 (Ionia Motorway), which is part of European route E55. The principal designer of the bridge was Berdj Mikaelian.

This four-lane structure is officially named the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge. Charilaos Trikoupis served as prime minister of Greece a total of seven times between 1875 and 1895. He is widely regarded as the founder of modern Greece. Trikoupis was an early high-profile advocate for building a bridge across that section of the Gulf of Corinth. (Greece’s financial status during that portion of the 19^th century, however, did not allow for the funding needed for such an ambitious and costly construction project.)

The Rio-Antirrio Bridge first went into regular service the day before the opening ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Four days before motor vehicles were allowed to start crossing the bridge, however, it was used as part of the unprecedented worldwide torch relay for that year’s Olympic games. The Olympic torchbearers crossing the Rio-Antirrio Bridge included Otto Rehhagel, who was the coach for Greece’s team when it won the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship the previous month; and Kostas Laliotis, who was Greece’s minister of environment, spatial planning and public works from 1993 to 2001.

The bridge earned international praise at the time as a noteworthy addition to Greece’s overall transportation system. The structure was not only “sparkling new” but also a “gem,” according to Nick Peters of the Sacramento Bay in his account of traveling to the Summer Olympics. The Rio-Antirrio Bridge was “architecturally stunning,” reported Tom Hundley of the Chicago Tribune. He also noted, “Physically and psychologically, the bridge brings Greece closer to Europe, linking it with the continent’s main road and rail networks.”

With a total length of 9,450.1 feet (2,880.4 meters), the Rio-Antirrio Bridge is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in all of Europe. In 2006, this bridge received the Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.

Photo Credit: Awinch 1001 (licensed under the Creative Commons Attriution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Rio-Antirrio Bridge (formally designated as the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge), please check out https://structurae.net/en/structures/rio-antirrio-bridge