Experts now fear the soil will be washed away when the river Danube swells in the winter. But for now the bridge is open, once again linking Belgrade to the northern city of Novi Sad. Novi Sad is the historical capital of Vojvodina, a region known for its independent spirit. Of all the cities attacked by Nato, Novi Sad was the worst hit. Nato bombs knocked out the bridges, making river barges a fact of daily life.
People here have a black sense of humour.
The Danube, they say, is the only river in Europe that flows over three bridges. Building for the people The city council is controlled by an opposition party and it's not counting on Mr Milosevic's government to rebuild Novi Sad. Alexander Ivkovac, who works for the local authority, argues that repairing the bridges is a humanitarian not a reconstruction issue. In this way he hopes to get around what is in effect a Western ban on reconstruction aid to Serbia. German interest in historic city Alexander recently had an important meeting at the city hall which he hoped would advance his reconstruction plans.