The Asparuhov most ( bg, Аспарухов мост) or Asparuhov Bridge is a bridge in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

on the

Black Sea coast Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. It connects the Asparuhovo district to the rest of the city over the canals between the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

and

Lake Varna Lake Varna ( bg, Варненско езеро, ) is the largest by volume and deepest liman or lake along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, divided from the sea by a 2 km-wide strip of sand and having an area of 19 km², maximal depth 19 m ...

. The bridge is 2.05 km in length and 50 m in height, weighing 3,200

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s. It has 38 pairs of supports, each one capable of carrying 2,400 tons. The bridge experiences significant

traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

, with 10,000 vehicles crossing it every day. The bridge's construction began in 1973 when the need for a larger canal to link Lake Varna and the sea became necessary. The initial launch date was set for 30 September 1976, but construction was ahead of schedule and finished on 8 September, when the bridge was opened in a ceremony by

Todor Zhivkov Todor Hristov Zhivkov ( bg, Тодор Христов Живков ; 7 September 1911 – 5 August 1998) was a Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the ''de facto'' leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 ...

. Meanwhile, the new canal that the bridge crosses began operation on 1 September, with the first ship going through on 4 September of the same year. After 20 years of neglect, reconstruction work began in 1996 with a planned completion in October 1998, but the installation was not reopened until 17 September 1999, long overdue from the initial plans of a 16-month reconstruction. Today, the Asparuhov Most is not only an important transport installation, but also a place where

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

fans meet, as the bridge is a favourable location for

bungee jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

. The bridge is also unfortunately a

suicide bridge A suicide bridge is a bridge used frequently by people to end their lives, most typically by jumping off and into the water or ground below. A fall from the height of a tall bridge into water may be fatal, although some people have survived jumps ...

, with many deaths occurring over the past decades. In September 2015, the municipality of Varna announced plans to fully renovate the bridge and add

cycle track A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane (sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath) is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the ro ...

References

{{Commons category, Asparuhov most * Varna.info.bg.
Asparuhov most
'.
Panorama photo of Asparuhov most bridge at night
Buildings and structures in Varna, Bulgaria Bridges in Bulgaria Cantilever bridges Bridges completed in 1976 1976 establishments in Bulgaria Transport in Varna, Bulgaria