Opened on 20 June 1954 and designed by Soviet engineers V. Andreev and N. Rudomazin, the bridge is long and was, at the time, the only bridge over the Danube shared by Bulgaria and Romania, with other traffic being served by
ferries and land routes. Decorations were designed by Bulgarian architect
Georgi Ovcharov. The bridge has two decks; a two lane motorway and a railway. Sidewalks for pedestrians are also included. The central part of the bridge (85 m) is mobile and can be lifted for oversized boats passage. The maintenance of the mobile part is Romania's responsibility and is periodically checked. The bridge was constructed in two and a half years with the aid of the
Soviet Union. The Soviets named it the "Friendship Bridge", but, since the fall of the communist regimes in both countries, the bridge got the more functional name of "Danube Bridge".
Border control stations are present on the bridge, due to its serving as a border crossing between the two countries. Since January 2007 there is no more customs control and the passport/identity card control is done "on one desk" either by the Bulgarian or the Romanian border police, being an "internal border" within the
European Union. Both Romania and Bulgaria became a part of the
Schengen area on 1 January, 2025, therefore border control is expected to cease operations on 30 June 2025. On 3 September 2011 the Bulgarian part of the bridge was opened, after two months of rehabilitation. There are a pair of rectangular towers supported by pillars on both ends. ==Tolls==