The Holy Cross Bridge () is a bridge over the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland linking Powià Âle neighborhood with Praga Póà Ânoc district.
It is a cable-stayed bridge, 479 m long, with two lanes for vehicles, a pavement and a cycle path each way. The single tower, 90 m high, located on the right (eastern) river bank, has 48 cables attached supporting the deck. Near the left (western) bank the bridge is supported by two piers. The bridge was opened on 6 October 2000 after two years' construction.
The bridge's name comes from the à ÂwiÃÂtokrzyska Street, which forms part of the access route from the city center.
According to the data from Zarzàd Dróg Miejskich (Capital City Road Authority) in 2018, on average 23,418 vehicles passed the à ÂwiÃÂtokrzyski Bridge daily.
The construction of the bridge was tied to plans for intensive development of the Port Praski area, co-financed by the company Elektrim, as well as the planned university campus in Powià Âle.
The cornerstone was laid on September 28, 1998. The bridge was built by Mostostal Warszawa S.A. and designed by Andrzej Czapski and Pekka Pulkkinen, with architectural detailing by Tadeusz Korszyà Âski.
Construction lasted two years, with a total cost of approximately 160 million zà Âoty.
The bridge took over the traffic load from the dismantled Syrena Bridge. After two lanes of the à Âlàsko-Dàbrowski Bridge were closed to vehicular traffic in 2007, the à ÂwiÃÂtokrzyski Bridge's importance increased significantly. It now connects Warsaw's city center with Praga and is considered the most cyclist-friendly bridge in the city.
In 2005, plans were proposed to build a tram line across the bridge, connecting the TargowaâÂÂKijowska intersection in Praga with Rondo ONZ in the city center. This would have required reducing the number of traffic lanes, possibly leaving one lane per direction, while keeping the bike paths and sidewalks intact. However, the project was abandoned after work began on the second metro line, which follows a similar route.