Progress on fifth Novi Sad bridge – Planned to be connected in April 2026

Work on the fifth Novi Sad bridge over the Danube, also known as the Fruska Gora Bridge, which will connect Petrovaradin (Srem) with the industrial zone of Kac (Backa), is progressing according to plan. This capital infrastructure project, part of the Fruska Gora Corridor, has reached about 70% completion, and the bridge is planned to be connected in April 2026 and open to traffic by the end of that year.

Work progress

The three main pillars of the fifth bridge over the Danube have already been built, and workers are installing concrete segments of the structure from both banks, gradually expanding them towards the middle of the river.

The first inclined cables (tensioners) connecting the segments have also been installed on the central pillar (the pillar in the Danube bed), which confirms that the supporting pylons have taken over the load of the structure. The works on the fifth Novi Sad bridge have been progressing according to the planned schedule since the start of construction in May 2022, and have visually reached around 70% physical completion by August 2025.

On the Petrovaradin (Srem) bank, the access part of the structure has been fully completed and connected to the main span, while the works on the Backa side (near Kac) are progressing somewhat more slowly - the access structure on the right bank is several stages behind due to the deeper riverbed and more complex geology of the terrain. Overall, the pillars and pylons have been completed, and over a half of the main span of the bridge has already been built. The final segments in the middle of the river remain to be connected, which is among the most demanding parts of the work, but according to officials, everything is going according to plan.

Technical characteristics of the bridge

The fifth Novi Sad bridge is designed as a modern road solution with the following key characteristics:

• Total length: ~1,700 meters (with access structures), of which the main span over the Danube is about 505.8 meters.
• Bridge width: 25–28 meters, provides four vehicle lanes, with a pedestrian and bicycle path ~2 m wide on both sides.
• Construction: Bridge with oblique tension cables holding the supporting structure. The span structures consist of prestressed concrete beams of variable cross-section, supported on double pylons ~25 m high. The pylons are rooted on a total of 37 piles with a diameter of about 1.5 m and a length of ~37 m each, embedded in the riverbed.

Contractor and financing

The fifth bridge project is part of the Fruska Gora Corridor - a strategic expressway that will connect Novi Sad with Fruska Gora and the surrounding highways (directions to Ruma, Sabac and beyond). The total value of the entire corridor is estimated at around 600 million euros, while the construction of the bridge itself with access roads costs approximately 114 million euros (around 12 billion dinars).

The main contractor is the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). Financing is being provided through a loan arrangement with the China Development Bank, according to the intergovernmental agreement between Serbia and China. Works on the bridge officially began in May 2022, when the cornerstone was laid and the construction site was opened.

CRBC SERBIA OGRANAK BEOGRAD

China Road and Bridge Corporation

fifth Novi Sad bridge

Fruška Gora Bridge