page_title: Rio–Antirrio Bridge
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Rio–Antirrio Bridge / Construction
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Errichtung eines Pfeilers der Rio-Andirrio-Brücke in Griechenland Français&#160;: Pont Rion-Antirion (Grèce) - Remorquage d'une embase de pile. English: Pylon construction on the Rio–Antirrio bridge in Greece.
context_page_description: The Rio–Antirrio Bridge, officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road. It opened one day before the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, on 12 August 2004, and was used to transport the Olympic Flame.
context_section_description: Charilaos Trikoupis was a 19th-century prime minister of Greece who suggested building a bridge in the current location but the wealth of Greece at the time didn't permit its construction. 
  The bridge was planned in the mid-1990s and was built by a French-Greek consortium led by the French group Vinci SA which includes the Greek companies Hellenic Technodomiki-TEV, J&P-Avax, Athena, Proodeftiki and Pantechniki. The consortium operates the bridge under concession under its ΓΕΦΥΡΑ or ΓαλλοΕλληνικός Φορέας Υπερθαλάσσιας ζεύξης Ρίου-Αντιρίου (GEFYRA—Greek for "bridge"—or GalloEllinikós Foréas Yperthalássias zéfxis Ríou-Antiríou, French-Greek Carrier of Oversea Connection of Rio–Antirrio) subsidiary. 
  The lead architect was Berdj Mikaelian.  Site preparation and dredging began in July 1998, and construction of the massive supporting pylons in 2000. With these complete in 2003, work began on the traffic decks with the steel fabrication being carried out by Cleveland Bridge U.K. and supporting cables by Freyssinet. On 21 May 2004 the main construction was completed; only equipment (sidewalks, railings, etc.) and waterproofing remained to be installed.
  The total cost of the bridge was about €630 million, funded by Greek state funds, the consortium and loans by the European Investment Bank. It was finished ahead of its original schedule, which had foreseen completion between September and November 2004, and within budget. Other sources talk about €839 million.
caption: Pylon construction
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