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Great Belt Fixed Link
The Great Belt Bridge (The East Bridge)
The East Bridge as seen from the Zealand side. Official name Østbroen Carries Motor vehicles Crosses Great Belt Maintained by A/S Storebælt Designer Dissing+Weitling Design Suspension bridge Material Concrete and steel Total length 6,790 metres (22,277 ft) Width 31 metres (102 ft) Height 254 metres (833 ft) Longest span 1,624 metres (5,328 ft) Piers in water 19 Clearance below 65 metres (213 ft) Construction end 1998 Opened 14 June 1998
Coordinates 55°20′31″N 11°02′10″E
The Great Belt Fixed Link (Danish: Storebæltsforbindelsen) is the fixed link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen across the Great Belt. It consists of a road suspension bridge and railway tunnel between Zealand and the island Sprogø, as well as a box girder bridge between Sprogø and Funen. The "Great Belt Bridge" (Danish: Storebæltsbroen) commonly refers to the suspension bridge, although it may also be used to mean the beam bridge or the link in its entirety. The suspension bridge, known as the East Bridge, has the world's third longest main span (1.6 km), and the longest outside of Asia. It was designed by the Danish architectural practice Dissing+Weitling.
The link replaces the ferry service which had been the primary means of crossing the Great Belt. After more than five decades of speculation and debate, the decision to construct the link was made in
1986; [1] while the original intent was to complete the railway link three years before opening the road connection, the link was opened to rail traffic in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. At an estimated cost
of DKK 21.4 billion (1988 prices), [2] the link is the
largest construction project in Danish history. [3]
Operation & maintenance of the link is performed by A/S Storebælt under Sund & Bælt. Construction and maintenance are financed by tolls on vehicles and trains.
The link has reduced travel times significantly; previously taking about an hour by ferry, the Great Belt can now be crossed in about 10 minutes. The construction of the Great Belt Fixed Link and the Øresund Bridge have, together, enabled one to drive from mainland Europe to Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia through Denmark, providing an alternative to the significantly longer land route through Finland. Cyclists are not permitted to use the bridge, but may transport their cycle on a train or a bus.
Hide History
The Great Belt ferries entered service between the coastal towns of Korsør and Nyborg in 1883, connecting the railway lines on either side of the Belt. In 1957, road traffic was moved to the Halsskov–Knudshoved route, about 1.5 kilometres to the north and close to the modern-day fixed link.
Construction drafts for a fixed link were presented as early as the 1850s, with several suggestions appearing in the following decades. The Danish State Railways, responsible for the ferry service, itself presented plans for a bridge in 1934. In 1948, the Ministry for Public Works (now the Ministry of Transport) established a commission to investigate
the implications of a fixed link. [4]
The first law concerning a fixed link was enacted in
1973, [5] but the project was put on hold in 1978 as the Venstre (Liberal) party demanded postponingof various public spending. Political agreement to restart work was reached in 1986, with a construction law (Danish: anlægslov) being passed
in 1987. [6]
The design was eventually carried out by the architecture practice Dissing+Weitling together with the engineering firm COWI.
Construction of the Great Belt Fixed Link commenced in 1988. In 1991, Finland sued Denmark at the International Court of Justice, on the grounds that Finnish-built mobile offshore drilling units would have been unable to pass beneath the bridge. The two countries negotiated a financial compensation of 90 million Danish kroner, and
Finland withdrew the lawsuit. [7]
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Hide Construction
The West Bridge
The West bridge (foreground) as seen from Nyborg at Funen. Official name Vestbroen Carries Motor vehicles, trains Crosses Great Belt Maintained by A/S Storebælt Design Box girder bridge Total length 6,611 metres (21,690 ft) Width 25 metres (82 ft) Longest span 110 metres (361 ft) Piers in water 62 Clearance below 18 metres (59 ft)
Opened 1 June 1997 (rail traffic) 14 June 1998 (road traffic) Coordinates 55°18′42″N 10°54′23″E
The East Tunnel Overview
Location Great Belt
Coordinates 55°21′15″N 11°01′59″E
Status Active
Start Halsskov
End Sprogø
Operation
Opened 1 June 1997
Traffic Trains
Character Mainline railway
Technical
Length 8,024 metres (4.986 mi)
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in)
Electrified 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Highest elevation −15.1 metres (−50 ft) [8]
Lowest elevation −75 metres (−246 ft) [2][8]
Grade 16 ‰ (max) [8]
The construction of the fixed link across the Great Belt became the biggest building project ever in the history of Denmark. In order to connect Halsskov on Zealand with Knudshoved on Funen, 18 kilometres to its west, a two-track railway and a four-lane motorway had to be built, aligned via the small island of Sprogø in the middle of the Great Belt. In general terms, the project comprised three different construction tasks: The East Bridge for road transport, the East Tunnel for rail transport and the West Bridge for road and rail transport combined. The construction work was carried out by Sundlink Contractors, a consortium of Skanska, Hochtief, Højgaard & Schultz (which built the West Bridge) and Monberg & Thorsen (which built the eight kilometre
section under the Great Belt). [9] The work of lifting and placing the elements was carried out by Ballast
Nedam using a floating crane. [10]
The East Bridge
Built between 1991 and 1998, the East Bridge (Østbroen) is a road suspension bridge between Halsskov and Sprogø. It is 6,790 metres (22,277 ft)
long with a free span of 1,624 metres (5,328 ft), [2]
making it the world's third-longest suspension bridge span, surpassed only by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge and Xihoumen Bridge. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge was opened two months earlier. The East Bridge had been planned to be completed in time to open as the longest bridge; however, it was delayed and so opened as the second longest bridge. The vertical clearance for ships is 65 metres (213 ft), meaning the world's largest cruise ship just fits
under. [11]
At 254 metres (833 ft) above sea level, the two pylons of the East Bridge are the highest points on solid structures in Denmark. (Only some radio masts as Tommerup transmitter are taller.)
To keep the main cables tensioned, an anchorage structure on each side of the span is placed below the road deck. Additionally, a total of 19 concrete pillars (12 on the Zealand side, 7 by Sprogø), each separated by a distance of 193 metres (633 ft), carry the road deck outside the span.
The West Bridge
The West Bridge (Vestbroen) is a box girder
bridge [12] between Sprogø and Knudshoved. It is 6,611 metres (21,690 ft) long, and has a vertical
clearance for ships of 18 metres (59 ft). [2] It is essentially two separate, adjacent bridges above water. The northern one carries rail traffic and the southern one carries road traffic. However, the pillars of the two bridges rest on common foundations below sea level. The West Bridge was built between 1988 and 1994; its road/rail deck comprises 63 sections, supported by 62 pillars.
The tunnel
The twin bored tunnel tubes of the East Tunnel (Østtunnelen) are 8,024 metres (4.986 mi) long
each. [2] Between the two main tunnels, 31 connecting tunnels were placed at 250 metres (820 ft) intervals. The equipment that is necessary
for train operation in the tunnels [clarification needed]
is installed in the connecting tunnels. The connecting tunnels also serve as emergency escape routes.
There were delays and cost overruns in the tunnel construction. The plans was to open it for traffic in 1993, giving the trains a head start of three years over the road traffic. In reality the train traffic started in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. During construction of the tunnels, the sea bed gave way and one of the tunnel pipes was flooded. The water continued to rise and reached the end at Sprogø, where it continued into the (still dry) other tunnel pipe. The water thus damaged two of the four tunnel boring machines, but no workers were injured. Only by placing a clay blanket on the sea bed was it possible to dry out the tunnels. The two damaged machines were repaired and the majority of the tunnelling was undertaken from the Sprogø side. The tunnel machines on the Zealand side tunnelled through difficult ground and made little progress. A major fire on one of the Zealand machines in June 1994 finally stopped these drives and the tunnels were completed by the two Sprogø machines.
A total 320 compressed air workers were involved in 9018 pressure exposures in four tunnel boring
machines. [13] The project had a decompression sickness incidence of 0.14% with two workers having
long term residual symptoms
The Great Belt Bridge (The East Bridge)
The East Bridge as seen from the Zealand side. Official name Østbroen Carries Motor vehicles Crosses Great Belt Maintained by A/S Storebælt Designer Dissing+Weitling Design Suspension bridge Material Concrete and steel Total length 6,790 metres (22,277 ft) Width 31 metres (102 ft) Height 254 metres (833 ft) Longest span 1,624 metres (5,328 ft) Piers in water 19 Clearance below 65 metres (213 ft) Construction end 1998 Opened 14 June 1998
Coordinates 55°20′31″N 11°02′10″E
The Great Belt Fixed Link (Danish: Storebæltsforbindelsen) is the fixed link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen across the Great Belt. It consists of a road suspension bridge and railway tunnel between Zealand and the island Sprogø, as well as a box girder bridge between Sprogø and Funen. The "Great Belt Bridge" (Danish: Storebæltsbroen) commonly refers to the suspension bridge, although it may also be used to mean the beam bridge or the link in its entirety. The suspension bridge, known as the East Bridge, has the world's third longest main span (1.6 km), and the longest outside of Asia. It was designed by the Danish architectural practice Dissing+Weitling.
The link replaces the ferry service which had been the primary means of crossing the Great Belt. After more than five decades of speculation and debate, the decision to construct the link was made in
1986; [1] while the original intent was to complete the railway link three years before opening the road connection, the link was opened to rail traffic in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. At an estimated cost
of DKK 21.4 billion (1988 prices), [2] the link is the
largest construction project in Danish history. [3]
Operation & maintenance of the link is performed by A/S Storebælt under Sund & Bælt. Construction and maintenance are financed by tolls on vehicles and trains.
The link has reduced travel times significantly; previously taking about an hour by ferry, the Great Belt can now be crossed in about 10 minutes. The construction of the Great Belt Fixed Link and the Øresund Bridge have, together, enabled one to drive from mainland Europe to Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia through Denmark, providing an alternative to the significantly longer land route through Finland. Cyclists are not permitted to use the bridge, but may transport their cycle on a train or a bus.
Hide History
The Great Belt ferries entered service between the coastal towns of Korsør and Nyborg in 1883, connecting the railway lines on either side of the Belt. In 1957, road traffic was moved to the Halsskov–Knudshoved route, about 1.5 kilometres to the north and close to the modern-day fixed link.
Construction drafts for a fixed link were presented as early as the 1850s, with several suggestions appearing in the following decades. The Danish State Railways, responsible for the ferry service, itself presented plans for a bridge in 1934. In 1948, the Ministry for Public Works (now the Ministry of Transport) established a commission to investigate
the implications of a fixed link. [4]
The first law concerning a fixed link was enacted in
1973, [5] but the project was put on hold in 1978 as the Venstre (Liberal) party demanded postponingof various public spending. Political agreement to restart work was reached in 1986, with a construction law (Danish: anlægslov) being passed
in 1987. [6]
The design was eventually carried out by the architecture practice Dissing+Weitling together with the engineering firm COWI.
Construction of the Great Belt Fixed Link commenced in 1988. In 1991, Finland sued Denmark at the International Court of Justice, on the grounds that Finnish-built mobile offshore drilling units would have been unable to pass beneath the bridge. The two countries negotiated a financial compensation of 90 million Danish kroner, and
Finland withdrew the lawsuit. [7]
↑Jump back a section
Hide Construction
The West Bridge
The West bridge (foreground) as seen from Nyborg at Funen. Official name Vestbroen Carries Motor vehicles, trains Crosses Great Belt Maintained by A/S Storebælt Design Box girder bridge Total length 6,611 metres (21,690 ft) Width 25 metres (82 ft) Longest span 110 metres (361 ft) Piers in water 62 Clearance below 18 metres (59 ft)
Opened 1 June 1997 (rail traffic) 14 June 1998 (road traffic) Coordinates 55°18′42″N 10°54′23″E
The East Tunnel Overview
Location Great Belt
Coordinates 55°21′15″N 11°01′59″E
Status Active
Start Halsskov
End Sprogø
Operation
Opened 1 June 1997
Traffic Trains
Character Mainline railway
Technical
Length 8,024 metres (4.986 mi)
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in)
Electrified 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Highest elevation −15.1 metres (−50 ft) [8]
Lowest elevation −75 metres (−246 ft) [2][8]
Grade 16 ‰ (max) [8]
The construction of the fixed link across the Great Belt became the biggest building project ever in the history of Denmark. In order to connect Halsskov on Zealand with Knudshoved on Funen, 18 kilometres to its west, a two-track railway and a four-lane motorway had to be built, aligned via the small island of Sprogø in the middle of the Great Belt. In general terms, the project comprised three different construction tasks: The East Bridge for road transport, the East Tunnel for rail transport and the West Bridge for road and rail transport combined. The construction work was carried out by Sundlink Contractors, a consortium of Skanska, Hochtief, Højgaard & Schultz (which built the West Bridge) and Monberg & Thorsen (which built the eight kilometre
section under the Great Belt). [9] The work of lifting and placing the elements was carried out by Ballast
Nedam using a floating crane. [10]
The East Bridge
Built between 1991 and 1998, the East Bridge (Østbroen) is a road suspension bridge between Halsskov and Sprogø. It is 6,790 metres (22,277 ft)
long with a free span of 1,624 metres (5,328 ft), [2]
making it the world's third-longest suspension bridge span, surpassed only by the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge and Xihoumen Bridge. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge was opened two months earlier. The East Bridge had been planned to be completed in time to open as the longest bridge; however, it was delayed and so opened as the second longest bridge. The vertical clearance for ships is 65 metres (213 ft), meaning the world's largest cruise ship just fits
under. [11]
At 254 metres (833 ft) above sea level, the two pylons of the East Bridge are the highest points on solid structures in Denmark. (Only some radio masts as Tommerup transmitter are taller.)
To keep the main cables tensioned, an anchorage structure on each side of the span is placed below the road deck. Additionally, a total of 19 concrete pillars (12 on the Zealand side, 7 by Sprogø), each separated by a distance of 193 metres (633 ft), carry the road deck outside the span.
The West Bridge
The West Bridge (Vestbroen) is a box girder
bridge [12] between Sprogø and Knudshoved. It is 6,611 metres (21,690 ft) long, and has a vertical
clearance for ships of 18 metres (59 ft). [2] It is essentially two separate, adjacent bridges above water. The northern one carries rail traffic and the southern one carries road traffic. However, the pillars of the two bridges rest on common foundations below sea level. The West Bridge was built between 1988 and 1994; its road/rail deck comprises 63 sections, supported by 62 pillars.
The tunnel
The twin bored tunnel tubes of the East Tunnel (Østtunnelen) are 8,024 metres (4.986 mi) long
each. [2] Between the two main tunnels, 31 connecting tunnels were placed at 250 metres (820 ft) intervals. The equipment that is necessary
for train operation in the tunnels [clarification needed]
is installed in the connecting tunnels. The connecting tunnels also serve as emergency escape routes.
There were delays and cost overruns in the tunnel construction. The plans was to open it for traffic in 1993, giving the trains a head start of three years over the road traffic. In reality the train traffic started in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. During construction of the tunnels, the sea bed gave way and one of the tunnel pipes was flooded. The water continued to rise and reached the end at Sprogø, where it continued into the (still dry) other tunnel pipe. The water thus damaged two of the four tunnel boring machines, but no workers were injured. Only by placing a clay blanket on the sea bed was it possible to dry out the tunnels. The two damaged machines were repaired and the majority of the tunnelling was undertaken from the Sprogø side. The tunnel machines on the Zealand side tunnelled through difficult ground and made little progress. A major fire on one of the Zealand machines in June 1994 finally stopped these drives and the tunnels were completed by the two Sprogø machines.
A total 320 compressed air workers were involved in 9018 pressure exposures in four tunnel boring
machines. [13] The project had a decompression sickness incidence of 0.14% with two workers having
long term residual symptoms
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