Vanšu Bridge Vanšu tilts | |
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| Coordinates | 56°57′04″N24°05′43″E / 56.9511°N 24.0953°E /56.9511; 24.0953 |
| Crosses | Daugava |
| Locale | Riga,Latvia |
| Other name | Until 1991Gorky Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | Steel,concrete |
| Total length | 625 metres (2,051 ft) |
| Width | 28 metres (92 ft) |
| Height | 109 metres (358 ft) |
| Longest span | 312 metres (1,024 ft) |
| No. of spans | 2 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1981 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Vanšu Bridge | |
TheVanšu Bridge (Latvian:Vanšu tilts) inRiga is acable-stayed bridge that crosses theDaugava river in Riga, the capital ofLatvia. The wordvanšu refers to the cables suspending its deck, comparing them to nautical rigging also known asshrouds in English; thus a direct translation of the name isShroud Bridge.[1] 595 meters in length, it is one of five bridges crossing the Daugava in Riga and passes overĶīpsala island. It was built during theSoviet period and opened to public use on 21 July 1981 as theGorky Bridge (Latvian:Gorkija tilts) afterMaxim Gorky street, today renamedKrišjānis Valdemārs street, which it extends across the river.
In the last decade there have been more than 10 instances of people attempting to climb the cables. The only one with lethal consequences was on 7 June 2012, when a man committedsuicide by jumping down from the bridge's cables.[2] After the incidentRiga City Council ordered forbarbed wire entanglements to be installed on the cables.[3]
In 2013 a beach with a playground and volleyball field was opened next to the Vanšu bridge in Ķīpsala.[4]
An extensive renovation project for the bridge is scheduled to begin in 2023.[5]
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Riga's other bridges already have "official" names. The Shroud Bridge (Vanšu tilts) was officially given its moniker in 1989
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