Mary Bridge, Timișoara

The initial bridge on the site of today's Mary Bridge was a wooden structure that linked the Peterwardein Gate to Iosefin.^[3] By the late 19th century, this bridge had deteriorated significantly and urgently required replacement, particularly because it was also used by the horse-drawn tramway, which had been extended to Iosefin on 25 October 1869.

A steel truss bridge was constructed between 1870 and 1871 to replace the deteriorating wooden bridge. The bridge's metal structure was supplied by the Reșița Ironworks' bridge factory, where it was manufactured.^[1] This bridge was the city's second steel bridge, alongside Bem híd, which also opened in the same year. A notable feature of the steel bridge was its asymmetry, with a single-sided pedestrian walkway on the west side.

When the electric tramway was introduced in 1899, the 1871 steel bridge needed reinforcement, which included the addition of two supporting pillars. The tramway company, then known as Temesvári Villamos Városi Vasút Részvénytársaság, covered a quarter of the project's cost.^[3]

The construction of the current concrete bridge leading to Iosefin began in March 1913. However, progress was slow during World War I, with the bridge's load test conducted between 14 and 18 December 1915. The bridge was opened to pedestrians on 1 January 1916, and opened for road traffic in 1917. It wasn't until November 1918 that the tram was finally rerouted from the temporary bridge, which had been in use since November 1912, to the permanent route. The old 120-ton steel bridge, however, was repurposed in 1915 as a pedestrian bridge about 500 meters downstream, now known as Podul de Fier.^[3]

After World War II, the bridge was modernized and is now the widest of the city's older bridges.

The bridge's design is straightforward, with the upper section reflecting the early phase of the Art Deco style. The final version of the bridge lacked the towers, galleries, and decorative features outlined in the consolidation and reconstruction plans.^[1]