Astana - Atyrau Kopiri

On 1 July 2018, a new pedestrian bridge called “Atyrau Kopiri” was opened in Astana. The new bridge is a gift from the Akimat of Atyrau Region to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the capital.

Engineers and architects designed this bridge to connect the pedestrian flows and bicycle network of the park zone and the shoreline of the right bank of the Esil River.

The bridge’s exterior resembles a fish scale – the symbol of the Atyrau Region. The decorative design of the bridge consists of 2,450 aluminium leaves, each with its own shape. When you walk inside, you have the feeling of being inside a big fish.

According to the builder, the outer skin of the bridge consists of triangular aluminium cassettes that provide protection from precipitation and safety. In the middle of the roundabout is a public square in the form of a diamond-shaped marquee.

The design of the building is in the style of Biotec architecture with organic, natural forms. The envelope of the bridge has a floral pattern according to the Fibonacci law, also known as the golden section.

On the side of the bridge with the park and amphitheatre is a monument to the Caspian Sturgeon, the symbol of Atyrau.

The total length of the footbridge is 313.5 metres and its width is 10.5 metres. The structure includes a six-metre-wide pedestrian lane, a three-metre-wide bicycle lane, a 0.5-metre-wide safety lane and two 0.5-metre-wide lanes for crash barriers. The steel structure weighs 1,920 tonnes. The surface of the bridge is made of lithacrylate. On both sides of this bridge in Astana, there are stelae with the inscription “Atyrau Kopiri” (“Atyrau Bridge) on each river bank.