The Považská Bystrica viaduct on the D1 motorway, photographed in 2010

Palace & modernCentral Slovakia

Považská Bystrica Viaduct: a motorway flying over a town

The Považská Bystrica Viaduct (Estakáda Považská Bystrica, working name Most 206) is an extradosed motorway bridge that runs directly across the town of Považská Bystrica in the Váh valley, western Slovakia. Opened in 2010 as part of the D1 motorway, it is a rare 21st-century monument for anyone interested in engineering and modern architecture.

Instead of a tunnel, the D1 motorway was lifted over the roofs of a town: at 968.73 metres this is the longest motorway bridge complex in Slovakia, lit up after dark.

WherePovažská Bystrica, Váh valley, western Slovakia

TypeExtradosed motorway bridge (viaduct) on the D1

Best forEngineering and architecture fans, photographers and travellers on the D1

Getting thereIn the centre of Považská Bystrica, on the D1 motorway at about kilometre 170

The history of the Považská Bystrica Viaduct

The story of the viaduct begins in 2001, when planners started preparing the stretch of the D1 motorway between Sverepec and Vrtižer. Until then, motorway traffic had to pass through the middle of Považská Bystrica. Besides a bridge, several tunnel variants around the town were considered, but they were dropped because of their high cost. The decision to build a bridge met strong resistance from residents, so the start of construction was postponed several times. Lawsuits that reached the highest court were rejected.

Construction began in August 2008. The builders first erected the seven bridge piers and then moved on to the deck, which was completed in January 2010. The result is an extradosed structure, a combination of a cable-stayed bridge and a girder bridge. It is 968.73 metres long and has 10 spans, the largest of them 122 metres wide. The bridge crosses the town and, at its northern end, also the river Váh, where the Považská Bystrica-centrum junction connects the town to the motorway.

The viaduct is the key structure of the Sverepec–Vrtižer section, which opened on 31 May 2010. It took the motorway traffic out of the old road through the town and eased the situation in the streets considerably. The design is completed by the colour of the concrete and by evening lighting. The structure was named Building of the Year (Stavba roka) in 2010. Today it is part of the everyday D1 route and, at the same time, one of the most characteristic landmarks of Považská Bystrica.

Curiosities about the Považská Bystrica Viaduct

At 968.73 metres, it is the longest motorway bridge complex in Slovakia.
It was the first motorway bridge in Slovakia whose deck carries the entire motorway cross-section while being supported across its width by only a single support.
The bridge is an extradosed design, a hybrid of a cable-stayed bridge and a girder bridge, with the largest spans reaching 122 metres.
Engineers originally weighed tunnel variants around the town. The bridge won instead, although residents protested and the case went as far as the highest court.
The bridge crosses a town, not a valley: it runs over the narrowest part of Považská Bystrica and ends by crossing the river Váh.
The design includes evening lighting, and in 2010 the structure received the Building of the Year award.

Tours near Považská Bystrica Viaduct

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Private One Day Tour to the UNESCO Heritage Village and The High Tatras from Bratislava

★ 5 (2 reviews) · 12 h

See details ›

Private Magic Christmas Tour in Bojnice

★ 5 (1 reviews) · 2 h

See details ›

Bojnice Heritage and Nature : Private Walking Tour

2 h

See details ›

Bojnice’s Romantic Embrace Private Walking Tour

2 h

See details ›

Visiting the Považská Bystrica Viaduct

The viaduct carries motorway traffic, so it is seen from below and from the town rather than walked across. The sources do not mention an official viewing point.
The evening lighting is part of the design, so the structure is worth seeing at dusk as well as by day.
The Považská Bystrica-centrum junction at the northern end connects the town with the D1 motorway, which makes a short stop easy for drivers.
Another place on this site nearby is Považský hrad, about 3 km away. Lietava Castle and Vršatec Castle lie roughly 20 km from the viaduct.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Považská Bystrica Viaduct is

Photos of Považská Bystrica Viaduct

The bridge under construction on the D1 motorway at Považská Bystrica

Another view of the viaduct during construction at Považská Bystrica

The D1 viaduct above the town of Považská Bystrica

The D1 motorway approaching Považská Bystrica

Questions

Where is the Považská Bystrica Viaduct?

It stands in the centre of Považská Bystrica in western Slovakia and carries the D1 motorway across the town, at about kilometre 170 of the motorway.

How long is the Považská Bystrica Viaduct?

The bridge is 968.73 metres long and has 10 spans. The largest spans are 122 metres wide.

Is it the longest motorway bridge in Slovakia?

It is described as the longest motorway bridge complex in Slovakia. It is also the first motorway bridge in the country with a deck that carries the full motorway profile on a single row of supports.

When was the viaduct built and opened?

Construction began in August 2008 and the deck was finished in January 2010. The Sverepec–Vrtižer section with the viaduct opened on 31 May 2010.

What kind of bridge is it?

It is an extradosed bridge, which combines features of a cable-stayed bridge and a girder bridge.

Did the viaduct win any award?

Yes, it received the Building of the Year (Stavba roka) award in 2010.