Asparuhov most (Аспарухов мост)

Carries	cars and pedestrians; two lanes of Cherno More Highway
Crosses	the canal between Lake Varna and the Black Sea
Locale	Varna, Bulgaria
Design	cantilever bridge
Total length	2,050 m
Width	21 m (two lanes 7.9 m each, two pavements 1.9 m each and curbs)
Clearance below	46 m
Opening date	8 September 1976

The Asparuhov most (Аспарухов мост) or Asparuhovo Bridge is a bridge in Varna on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, connecting the Asparuhovo quarter to the rest of the city over the canal between the Black Sea and Lake Varna. Lake Varna (Bulgarian: ) is the largest and deepest lake along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, divided from the sea by a 2 km-wide strip of sand and having an area of 17 km² and a volume of 165,000,000 m³. The lake has an elongated shape, its south... Map of the Black Sea. ... Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 351,552(10. ... A cantilever bridge is a form of bridge whereby the structure is supported using the technique of cantilevers. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 351,552(10. ... The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast covers the whole eastern border of Bulgaria. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... Lake Varna (Bulgarian: ) is the largest and deepest lake along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, divided from the sea by a 2 km-wide strip of sand and having an area of 17 km² and a volume of 165,000,000 m³. The lake has an elongated shape, its south...

The bridge is 2,05 km in length and 50 m in height, weighing 3,200 tons. It has 38 pairs of poles, each one being able to carry 2,400 tons. The installation experiences significant traffic, with 10,000 vehicles crossing it every 24 hours. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... Interstate 80, a freeway in California with many lanes and heavy traffic. ...

The bridge's construction began in 1973 after the need for a larger canal to link Lake Varna and the sea was felt. The initial launch date was 30 September 1976, but construction was ahead of schedule and finished on 8 September, when the Asparuhov most was opened in a ceremony by Todor Zhivkov. Meanwhile, the new canal that the bridge crosses began operation on 1 September, with the first ship going through on 4 September the same year. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... Todor Zhivkov Todor Hristov Zhivkov (Bulgarian: Toдор Xpиcтoв Живков; pronounced TO-dor HRIS-tov ZHIF-kof) (September 7, 1911–August 5, 1998) was the Communist leader of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ...

After 20 years of no repairs, reconstruction work began in 1996 to end in October 1998, but the installation was not reopened until 17 September 1999, a date far from the initial plans of a 16-month reconstruction. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Today the Asparuhov most is not only an important transport installation, but also a place where extreme sports fans meet, as the bridge is a favourable location for bungee jumping. Extreme sports (now also known as action sports) is a general, somewhat hazily-defined term for a collection of newer sports involving adrenaline-inducing action. ... Bungee Jump in Normandy, France Bungee jumping (or Bungy jumping) is an activity in which a person jumps off from a high place (generally of several hundred feet/meters) with one end of an elastic cord attached to his/her body or ankles and the other end tied to the...

References

• Varna.info.bg. Asparuhov most. Visited 2 April 2006.