The Mala Rijeka viaduct is a viaduct on the Belgrade – Bar railway, located some 20 kilometer north of Podgorica, Montenegro. The project was started in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The viaduct is 498.8 meter (1,636 ft) long and at its highest is 200 meter (660 ft) above the Mala Rijeka river meaning literally Little river. It is also the longest bridge on the Belgrade – Bar railway.
When constructed it was the highest railway bridge in the world surpassing the record height previously held by the Fades viaduct in France. It held the record until 2001 when the Beipan River Shuibai Railway Bridge an arch bridge was opened in Guizhou, China. Multiple railway bridges under construction in China will also be higher.
Construction
36,000 m³ of concrete and 100,000 tons of steel were built into the bridge. The largest of four pillars, upon which the bridge lies, has a base bigger than a tennis court. Belgian extreme sportsman Cedric Dumont was the first person ever to base jump from the bridge on 11 September 2008.
