Bridges in Sweden. Øresund Tunnel - a mega-structure of the end of the 20th century

This unusual bridge-tunnel connects cities such as Malmö and Copenhagen. Moreover, you can drive along it both by rail and by car.

The construction of the Øresund bridge-tunnel began in 1995 and was completed on August 14, 1999. Despite the fact that a couple of important incidents prevented the construction - the discovery of 18 unexploded shells from the Second World War at the bottom of the sea and the distortion of one of the segments of the tunnel - the bridge was completed 3 months earlier than planned

The completion of construction was marked by a symbolic meeting between the Danish Prince Frederik and the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria in the middle of the bridge. The official opening took place on July 1, 2000, already with the participation of the monarchs themselves - Queen Margrethe II, and King Carl XVI Gustaf

The appearance of the project of such an unusual structure was facilitated by the fact that Denmark and Sweden are included in the Schengen zone and passport control was canceled between them and customs control was simplified

Initially, the passage on the bridge was very expensive - in an attempt to recoup its unprecedented cost, the government appointed too high price- therefore, it was used by a few, but subsequently, in 2005-2006, the traffic intensity increased significantly. Analysts attribute this to the fact that many Danes bought houses in Malmö, Sweden, which were inexpensive by the standards of Danish salaries, and traveled to work in Denmark along the Øresund bridge. In this regard, for people regularly crossing it, discounts of up to 75% of the fare were introduced.

In 2008 road access on the bridge cost 36.3 euros (260 Danish or 325 SEK). In 2007, almost 25 million people crossed the bridge, of which more than 15 million - on their own vehicles and almost 10 million - on trains.

The Øresund Bridge includes a double-track railway and a four-lane motorway. Its total length is 7845 meters, every 140 of which the bearing beam of the bridge rests on concrete pillars. The main span has a height of 57 meters, which allows most ships to safely pass under it, although many prefer a calm passage over the tunnel itself, with which the bridge connects on an artificial island, nicknamed Peberholm (Pepper Island) for its shape.

By inertia, the Danes, with their inherent sense of humor, decided to give a new name to the natural island located just to the north, which is now called nothing more than Saltholm (Island-Salt). Peberholm Island is 4 kilometers long and 500 meters wide on average. The building material for it was rock fragments and tons of rock raised from the bottom during dredging during the construction of the bridge.

The island of Peberholm is connected to the Danish artificial peninsula Kastrup on the island of Amager by the 4-kilometer Drogden Tunnel. To be more precise, its length is 4050 meters, which includes 270 meters of portals at both exits and 3510 meters of flat underwater part.

During the construction of the tunnel to the bottom of the strait, 20 reinforced concrete segments of 55 thousand tons each were lowered into a specially dug channel, which were then combined into one. In total, 5 pipes pass through the Drogden tunnel - two each for rail and road traffic, and a fifth, smaller pipe for emergencies

Why was such a strange half-bridge-half-tunnel built across the strait? Why did the government of the two countries go to additional expenses and the difficulties associated with the construction of the tunnel? The reason lies in the proximity of Copenhagen Airport (a conventional bridge would prevent aircraft from taking off and landing), plus this design made it possible not to restrict shipping traffic through Øresund
In total, more than 30 billion Danish kroner (based on the exchange rate of the Danish krone in 2000) was spent on the construction of the Øresund bridge-tunnel - an amount that will pay off only by 2035. In addition, in order to expand the railway interchange coming from the bridge, in 2006 the Swedish side spent another 9.45 billion SEK on the city tunnel in Malmö, which was completed in 2011.

Tunnel entrance

Tunnel

The reason for the dive is Copenhagen Airport, located on the other side of the Oresund Strait. Because of the flying planes to land, the bridge was removed under water into a four-kilometer tunnel.

Exit from the tunnel

The Øresund combined bridge - tunnel is the longest combined road in Europe, connecting the capital of Denmark and Swedish city Malmö passing through the Øresund Strait. Øresund combined bridge includes a double-track railroad and a four-lane highway. This combined bridge is part of the international European route located along the E-20 highway.

The construction of the Øresund Bridge began in 1995 and was completed on August 14, 1999. The grand opening of the bridge took place on July 1, 2000, with the participation of Queen Margaret II and King Carl XVI Gustaf. The Øresund Bridge was opened for crossing on the same day. This combined road passes through the borders of Denmark and, but thanks to the Schengen agreement, there is no passport control. The normal customs check is carried out only for those who enter Sweden, and those who enter Denmark are not checked.

This structure is a tunnel, road and island and is often referred to as the "Øresund Line" or "Øresund Connection". The length of the bridge is 7845 meters and is half the distance from Sweden and the Danish island of Amager. The weight of the entire bridge structure is 82,000 tons. The Øresund Bridge allows navigation in the alignment of the main span, the height of which is 57 meters. But, despite this, many ships prefer to pass through the Öresund Strait over the tunnel without hindrance. The bridge was designed by George Rotne and structural designer by Ove Arup.
The bridge connects to a tunnel on an artificial island, which is called Peberholm, which is translated as Pepper - an island. This name was chosen for him in the composition of the nearby island of Saltholm - Sol - island. From the island of Peberholm they made a nature reserve, the length of which is almost 4 kilometers, and with an average width of 500 meters.

The tunnel connects the artificial peninsula of Kastrup, on the Danish island of Amager and artificial island Peberholm. The length of the tunnel is 4050 meters, of which 3510 meters are underwater and there are two portals 270 meters long each at both ends of the tunnel. The passage through the tunnel is paid, and is comparable to the price for the ferry, which was used before the construction of the Øresund bridge. Stands marked with a yellow sign accept Swedish kroner, Danish kroner, Norwegian krone, pounds sterling, Swiss francs, as well as dollars and euros. The prices for the Öressun Combined Bridge are constantly changing depending on the season, and as of January 2012 the price was 43 euros per car.

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Hotellook - search best prices to hotels from all booking systems (Booking, Ostrovok, etc.);

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This is a long, almost eight-kilometer bridge-tunnel that connects Malmö and Copenhagen, passing above / below the Øresund Strait. Half of the bridge - from the side of Malmö - passes over the water, and then goes into underground tunnel, which leads to the center of Copenhagen (passing along the road past Kastrup - international airport). It seems that it was because of the airport that the bridge was "lowered underground" - otherwise the structures would interfere with the aircraft.
It is interesting that the bridge goes underground and goes into a tunnel not on the shore of the strait, but in the very center - on an artificial bulk island Peberholm ("pepper island"). This is brilliantly witty, given that nearby in the strait is natural island Saltholm ("island-salt"). (And on the shore in Malmo near Turning Torso there is a restaurant "Salt and Pepper", .)

I really wanted to drive over this bridge during daylight hours and see everything. The plan was executed very partially - only in the "drive" part. In this post I will tell you what options for moving there are, where to run for a photographer for good shots and - it is impossible to resist - I will publish a certain number of good shots taken from the Internet. The spectacle is amazing.

This photo introduced me to the bridge:
Surface part. At first, I did not pay attention that the bridge mysteriously ends right in the middle of the water.

Here is the general plan:

The bridge is crossed by a railway and a four-lane highway. The motorway passes "along the top" of the bridge, but the railway tracks are laid "in the depths", so you can see little - mainly, the bridge supports. If the day is clear, then the channel itself is visible.

Probably the most striking impression of the trip was the walls of the platforms of the station in Malmö. A luxurious idea - pictures from the forest are projected onto the rough gray walls. Nice and fresh.

The strait can be crossed not only by land, but also by ferries. Tickets for them can be purchased at railway station. I tend to think that on a clear day the bridge will be seen better from the ferry.

You can also see the bridge from the shore, go straight to the supports:

This photo was called "Øresund Bridge from Piberholm".
Photo from the site

And this, obviously, from Sweden.
Photo from the site

Well, there is always an option with air transport :)

Photo from the site

And some more pictures from the internet. Very impressive.

Photo from the site

Speed mode - 110 km / h.

Photo from the site

The bridge is the border between Sweden and Denmark. There are no checks for people moving from Sweden to Denmark.
They write that for those traveling to reverse side, to Sweden at the train station there is some kind of formal check.

Photo from the site

Here is Peberholm - the point of "transition" of the bridge into the tunnel:

Making a worthy competition to ancient monuments of architecture. One of the best examples modern building is the Øresund bridge-tunnel from Copenhagen to Malmö.

Eressun Bridge: unique features

It's a miracle modern architecture is a combined bridge-tunnel designed for the movement of automobile and railway transport. The structure crosses the Öresund Strait and consists of three parts: a bridge over water, an artificial island and an underwater tunnel.

The bridge is the first part of the overall structure and consists of two floors. The upper one is intended for vehicular traffic, the lower one is occupied by the railway. For cars, four lanes are allocated, an ideally laid highway. You can completely cross the bridge-tunnel and get into another country in about 30 minutes. There are two tracks for train traffic. Trains leave every 20 minutes and take passengers from Copenhagen to Malmö in 40 minutes. The structure has the following unique characteristics:

bridge length - 7845 m;
structure weight - 82,000 tons;
the height of the main span is 57 m.

These parameters ensure the reliability and safety of the structure and allow ships to pass under the bridge unhindered.

The bridge does not reach the coast of Denmark, but connects to the underwater part on the island of Peberholm. This engineering decision was made for several reasons:

the location of Copenhagen Airport near the structure - the tunnel, unlike a conventional bridge, does not create obstacles for take-off and landing of aircraft;
Öresund shipping traffic - despite the fact that ships can pass under the bridge unhindered, the construction of the tunnel made it possible not to restrict the passage to the main span;
rare species of marine fauna living off the coast of Denmark.

The bridge and the tunnel connect on the bulk island of Peberholm, consisting of sand and bottom rock formed during underwater work. The island, 4 km long, is nature reserve and a place where cars and trains hide in an underwater tunnel.

Underwater tunnel: movement under the water column

On the island of Peberholm, the underwater part of the structure begins, at the entrance to which the railways and highways are separated into separate roads. The tunnel is a prefabricated structure located at a depth of nine meters. There are massive pipes inside the reinforced concrete frame. Two pipes are intended for highways, two more carry railway tracks and one is a spare.

The length of the tunnel is just over four kilometers. For its construction, 20 segments of iron and concrete were needed, each of which weighs 55,000 tons. These are the heaviest structural elements in the world, assembled into a single whole on seabed. However, the complexity of the construction does not affect the comfort and safety of movement through the tunnel. Flawless, wide highways, well-thought-out ventilation and lighting systems make it possible to forget that the movement takes place under water.

The Øresund bridge-tunnel from the capital of Denmark Copenhagen to the city of Malmö is not only convenient and fast way to get from one country to another, but also a unique structure that is definitely worth seeing. The surface part will allow you to experience the feeling of flying over the water surface, and the underwater tunnel will leave an indelible feeling.

We welcome our dear readers to the pages of the site "I and the World"! In 1999, a grandiose bridge was completed between Denmark and Sweden connecting these two countries. Moreover, several kilometers of the bridge pass under water. From the article you will find out how many kilometers the road through the Oresund Strait between countries has, you will see this wonderful structure in the photo and how it was built.

Øresund Bridge (or Oresund) was built for 4 years. During construction, 18 shells were found at the bottom of the strait, which had been lying here since the Second World War. They had to be urgently destroyed, so the construction was a little suspended. But despite this construction completed three months ahead of schedule.

Why did the governments of the countries decide on such a grandiose, but very expensive project? The point is that between them passport control canceled, and at customs the check is not so strict. Therefore, we decided to simply connect the shores of the countries to facilitate moving from one to another.

To compensate for the construction costs, a bridge toll was set. At first, the fare for many was too high and only a few used the road. But later they introduced discounts for those who travel here regularly. Every year, several million people cross the strait either on their own vehicles or on trains.

Oresund looks fantastic and consists of a double track railway and a four-lane highway. How long is this grand structure? The total length is 7845 meters, and the mass of this giant is 82,000 tons. Every 140 meters there are concrete pillars between which most ships can safely sail. But some swim only over the underwater bridge-tunnel.

What is this tunnel and why does it pass under water? Halfway between the countries, a large artificial island was made, the road from which seems to go into an underwater tunnel, representing a canal with five pipes for railway and automobile lines. The fifth chimney is built for emergencies. Length underwater tunnel about 4 kilometers and it is dug in the seabed at a depth of 9 meters. The entire journey takes about 50 minutes, and high-speed train- only 25.

Why such difficulties? Why couldn't they just make the whole structure above the water? The reason is the nearby Copenhagen airport. When planes come in for landing, they can hit high supports. Therefore, part of the road was removed under water. Well, as mentioned above: it is also more convenient for ships to pass over the underwater part of the structure.

About 5 billion dollars were spent on the tunnel bridge. According to estimates, this crazy amount will pay off only by 2035. But since the fare is gradually growing, it may be that the construction will pay off earlier.

grand building attracts thousands of tourists and even the high price for the crossing does not scare at all. When you travel by train or car, it seems that there is no end to the road. And the navigator installed in the car is fun to look at: it clearly shows that you are moving through the Baltic Sea, or rather, along its bottom. On interactive map of the bridge you can clearly see the structure itself and for which cities it is a link.

An unprecedented journey is worth making if you are in one of the countries connected by the Øresund bridge. If you liked the article, share it with your friends. See you on the bridge!