M43 Motorway, Tisza Bridge

The planned Tisza Bridge of the M43 motorway would have provided a new expressway road connection over the Tisza River north of Szeged. The 661-metre study design variant of the bridge was connected to the transport development of the region and examined the possibility of a distinctive major river crossing.

We participated in the project with bridge design services. The bridge included in the study design was developed as a two-span, single-pylon cable-stayed structure, in which the structural system and architectural appearance were closely connected.

One of the defining elements of the design was the V-shaped arrangement of the stay cable planes and the geometric form of the pylon. The solution gave the bridge a light and recognisable appearance, while also evoking, in a stylised form, the traditional well sweep characteristic of the landscape.

The professional focus of the task came from the fact that, in the case of a major river bridge, structural behaviour, integration into the landscape, the road connection and the visual impact all become design questions at the same time. The study design sought a coordinated bridge engineering response to these aspects.