Apr 23 2015
Louis Berger was recognized with an Engineering Excellence Honor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for its work on the Sava Bridge in Belgrade, Serbia. The win follows the firm's 2014 Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam.
"This award is a great honor for Louis Berger and our operations in Serbia and throughout the region," said D. James Stamatis, president of Louis Berger's International operations. "We have been active in the Western Balkans since the early 2000s and this recognition is a testament to the hard work of all our employees in Eastern Europe and around the world."
Belgrade, Serbia's capital and largest city, is home to 1.7 million people – nearly 20 percent of the country's population. In recent decades, the city has seen significant population and geographic growth. Most of this growth has been across the Sava River into an area known as New Belgrade. The expansion of the city overwhelmed the existing transportation links, causing significant traffic bottlenecks in the city center and at existing bridges.
Louis Berger served as project manager and engineer for the Sava Bridge, the world's widest asymmetrical single-pylon cable-stay bridge and the first major bridge built in the city of Belgrade in 40 years. The 376-meter main span is made of lightweight structural steel while the shorter backspan is formed from concrete to balance the loads and maintain adequate tension through the pylon and stay cables. The 200-meter-tall pylon is open in the center to accommodate twin light rail tracks.
Since its opening, the Sava Bridge and approach roads have had a significant impact on traffic in Belgrade. Traffic on the other Sava River bridges has been reduced by up to 30 percent and travel time from the city center to New Belgrade has been reduced by up to 30 minutes.
The ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards celebrate the most outstanding project achievements in the field of engineering around the world. Projects are judged based on originality, innovation, value to the public and the engineering profession, complexity, social and economic considerations, sustainability, and exceeding client needs.