The Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge ( pl, Most Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie) is a bridge over the

Vistula River The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, linking the northern suburbs of

Białołęka Białołęka (, from ''biały'' - ''white'' and ''łąka'' - ''meadow'') is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The name ''Białołęka'' comes from a nobleman ...

and

Bielany Bielany () is a district in Warsaw located in the north-western part of the city. Initially a part of Żoliborz, Bielany has been an independent district since 1994. Bielany borders Żoliborz to the south-east, and Bemowo to the south-west. It ...

. The structure actually consists of three parallel bridges, two for motor vehicles and one for light rail, bicycles and pedestrians. The first two parts were opened on March 24, 2012 making it the eighth

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

in the capital of Poland, and it is now complete with the first tram line launched 21 January 2013. The construction started with a sod turning ceremony on 3 June 2009. The work was carried out by Pol-Aqua in cooperation with Spanish group Sando and Kromiss-Bis. During the design and construction works the bridge was tentatively named the North Bridge due to its most northerly location. The

President of Warsaw The city mayor of Warsaw, or more literally the ''city president of Warsaw'' (the official title in Polish is ''"prezydent miasta stołecznego Warszawy"'', literal translation ''"president of the capital city of Warsaw"'') is the head of the exe ...

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz Hanna Beata Gronkiewicz-Waltz (, born 4 November 1952) is a Polish politician and lawyer, Professor of Jurisprudence and politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw between 2006 and 2018. She is the first woman to hold this position. Life ...

, announced that she would petition the

Warsaw City Council Warsaw City Council, officially the Council of the Capital City of Warsaw ( pl, Rada Miasta Stołecznego Warszawy) is a unicameral governing body of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The council was first created following the location of ...

to name the bridge after

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. However, on 1 December 2011 the bridge name was officially changed to Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge to honor the Polish double

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner, against the opinions of citizens and District Councils of both Bielany and Białołęka districts.

Location

The width of the river at the bridge is about 650 metres. On the west bank of the Vistula the bridge forms an extension of gen. Marii Wittek Avenue, and on the east gen. Ryszarda Kuklińskiego Avenue. This is the second river crossing in Warsaw, after Most Świętokrzyski, which is at ground level on both banks of the river. At

, the route proceeds on earthen embankments, as well as at

, where the route joins the ''Wisłostrada'', the principal north-south route through central Warsaw. The most complex intersection in Warsaw is located here. At this point the interchange connects five multi-lane streets, three tramway lines and junctions for local roads.

References

External links

Most Północny – North Bridge official webpage in Polish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Sklodowska-Curie Bridge, Warsaw Road bridges in Poland Bridges in Warsaw Beam bridges Steel bridges Bridges completed in 2012 Bielany Białołęka