The first concrete work on the bridge abutment pile has started from a barge. Workers have to be precise to pour the cement mass into the foundation mould. The work is complicated by the high water current.
"We have to go into the dolomite layer about 20 meters deep with the piles. At the moment, the Daugava flood current is at its most powerful and the turbulence is high so it is difficult to steady the machinery," said Andis Linde, representative of the construction company BeReRix.
A total of 15 spans will be built across the Daugava. The bridge will have two tracks, which will be slightly higher than the adjacent Railway Bridge.
The total length of the new bridge will be approximately one kilometer. However, funding is sufficient for the construction of only one abutment for the time being.
"We know that [Rail Baltica project implementer in Latvia] European Railway Lines and the Ministry of Transport have submitted a funding request which includes this bridge," Linde said.
The bridge will start at Lastādijas Street, cross the Daugava, Zaķusala, Mazā Daugava, and end at Mūkusalas Street.
Unlike the existing railway bridge, which has a metal span, the new bridge will be a reinforced concrete structure, with the load-bearing part under the trains. The distance between the new bridge and the existing bridge will be between 5 and 10 meters.
