Oresund Bridge – Sweden and Denmark
An almost 10-mile (15.9 kilometer) engineering marvel, the Oresund Bridge, Peberholmen and Drodgen Tunnel transport passengers and freight via car and train across the Flinte Channel and Drodgen Strait. This direct, 35-minute train ride connecting Malmö, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark has allowed residents to easily live and work on either side of the strait since July 2000.
Designed by Danish engineering firm COWI, the Oresund Connection is a joint effort by both countries. There is a toll, and the booths live on the Swedish side of the bridge. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe, and took five years and €2.6 billion to construct.
Oresund Bridge
The Oresund Bridge is a 25,738-foot tall (7,845 meters) cable-stayed bridge that covers half the distance between Sweden and the Danish island of Amager. The 82,000-ton bridge supports two railway tracks and four lanes of road. While the cable-supporting towers are 669-feet high (204 meters) and allow 187 feet (57 meters) of head room, most ships prefer to pass over the tunnel versus under the bridge. A girder and cable-stayed design provide the rigidity necessary to carry heavy rail traffic. It may also help resist large accumulations of ice. Very severe weather may occasionally close the bridge.
Peberholmen
Built from Swedish rock and the soil dredged up during construction, the man-made island of Peberholm is a designated nature reserve with over 500 species of identified flora. At 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long, the island links the bridge and tunnel.
Drodgen Tunnel
At 13,287-feet long (4,050 meters) long, the Drogden Tunnel (Drogdentunnelen) is comprised of an 11,516-foot (3,510 meters) tube plus 886-foot (270 meters) entry tunnels at each end. The tunnel is made from 20 prefabricated reinforced concrete segments – the largest in the world at 55,000 tons each – interconnected in a trench dug in the seabed. Arranged side by side, two tubes carry the railway, two carry the roads and a small fifth tube is for emergencies.
FLASH PRODUCT USED ON ORESUND BRIDGE
The towers of the Øresund Bridge are lit with FTB 205 high intensity white bridge lighting system.
