Unique Öresund tunnel bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden. Øresund tunnel bridge between denmark and sweden Underwater bridge connecting sweden and denmark

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

The construction of the Øresund tunnel bridge began in 1995 and was completed on August 14, 1999.

Why was such a strange half-bridge-half-tunnel built across the strait? Why did the government of the two countries go to the additional costs and difficulties associated with the construction of the tunnel? The reason lies in the close location of Copenhagen airport (an ordinary bridge would prevent aircraft from taking off and landing), plus this design allowed not to restrict shipping traffic through Øresund

In total, over 30 billion Danish kroner was spent on the construction of the Øresund tunnel bridge (based on the Danish krone exchange rate in 2000) - an amount that will only pay off by 2035. In addition, in order to widen the railway junction running from the bridge, in 2006 the Swedish side spent an additional 9.45 billion SEK on the urban tunnel in Malmö, which was completed in 2011.

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

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

The end of construction was marked by a symbolic meeting between the Danish Prince Frederick 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 Charles XVI Gustav

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

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

In 2008, a car trip across the bridge cost 36.3 euros (260 Danish or 325 Swedish kronor). 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 supports. The main aisle has a height of 57 meters, which allows most ships to pass safely under it, although many prefer a quiet passage above the tunnel itself, with which the bridge connects on an artificial island, nicknamed Peberholm for its shape (Peretz Island).

By inertia, the Danes, with their inherent sense of humor, decided to give a new name to the natural island located a little to the north, which is now called Saltholm (Sol Island). Peberholm Island is 4 kilometers long with an average width of 500 meters. Building material for him were fragments of rocks and tons of rock raised from the bottom during dredging during the construction of the bridge

Peberholm Island is connected to the Danish artificial peninsula of Kastrup on Amager Island by the 4-kilometer Drogden Tunnel. More precisely, its length is 4050 meters, which includes 270 meters of portals at both exits and 3510 itself of a flat underwater part.

During the erection of the tunnel to the bottom of the strait, 20 reinforced concrete segments, 55 thousand tons each, were lowered into a specially dug channel, which were then combined into one whole. In total, 5 pipes pass through the Drogden tunnel - two for railway and car 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 the additional costs and difficulties associated with the construction of the tunnel? The reason lies in the close location of Copenhagen airport (an ordinary bridge would prevent aircraft from taking off and landing), plus this design allowed not to restrict shipping traffic through Øresund
In total, over 30 billion Danish kroner was spent on the construction of the Øresund tunnel bridge (based on the Danish krone exchange rate in 2000) - an amount that will only pay off by 2035. In addition, in 2006, the Swedish side spent an additional SEK 9.45 billion on the Malmö city tunnel, which was completed in 2011, to widen the railway junction running from the bridge.

Tunnel entrance

Tunnel

The reason for the dive was Copenhagen Airport, located on the other side of the Oresund Strait. Due to the landing aircraft flying, the bridge was removed under the water in a four-kilometer tunnel.

Exit the tunnel

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

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

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

In 2008, a car trip across the bridge cost 36.3 euros (260 Danish or 325 Swedish kronor). 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 supports. The main aisle has a height of 57 meters, which allows most ships to pass safely under it, although many prefer a quiet passage above the tunnel itself, with which the bridge connects on an artificial island, nicknamed Peberholm for its shape (Peretz Island).
By inertia, the Danes, with their inherent sense of humor, decided to give a new name to the natural island located a little to the north, which is now called Saltholm (Sol Island). Peberholm Island is 4 kilometers long with an average width of 500 meters. The building material for it was fragments of rocks and tons of rock raised from the bottom during dredging during the construction of the bridge.

Peberholm Island is connected to the Danish artificial peninsula of Kastrup on Amager Island by the 4-kilometer Drogden Tunnel. More precisely, its length is 4050 meters, which includes 270 meters of portals at both exits and 3510 itself of a flat underwater part.

During the erection of the tunnel to the bottom of the strait, 20 reinforced concrete segments, 55 thousand tons each, were lowered into a specially dug channel, which were then combined into one whole. In total, 5 pipes pass through the Drogden tunnel - two for railway and car 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 the additional costs and difficulties associated with the construction of the tunnel? The reason lies in the close location 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, over 30 billion Danish kroner was spent on the construction of the Øresund tunnel bridge (based on the Danish krone exchange rate in 2000) - an amount that will only pay off by 2035. In addition, in 2006, the Swedish side spent an additional SEK 9.45 billion on the Malmö city tunnel, which was completed in 2011, to widen the railway junction running from the bridge.

Tunnel entrance

Tunnel

The reason for the dive was Copenhagen Airport, located on the other side of the Oresund Strait. Due to the landing aircraft flying, the bridge was removed under the water in a four-kilometer tunnel.

Exit the tunnel

The end of construction was marked by a symbolic meeting between the Danish Prince Frederick 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 Charles XVI Gustav

By inertia, the Danes, with their inherent sense of humor, decided to give a new name to the natural island located a little to the north, which is now called Saltholm (Sol Island). Peberholm Island is 4 kilometers long with an average width of 500 meters. The building material for it was fragments of rocks and tons of rock raised from the bottom during dredging during the construction of the bridge.

Peberholm Island is connected to the Danish artificial peninsula of Kastrup on Amager Island by the 4-kilometer Drogden Tunnel. More precisely, its length is 4050 meters, which includes 270 meters of portals at both exits and 3510 itself of a flat underwater part

As you know, nature is the best artist and magician. She creates landscapes and amazing places that are often difficult to imagine. But, in Lately and the person does not lag behind. In between attempts to offend our planet as much as possible and pollute it as much as possible, humanity still creates interesting things worthy of attention and inclusion in the list of world attractions.
A striking example of such creative activity is the unique Øresund Bridge. It connects Sweden and Denmark through the Øresund Strait.

There are a lot of eye-catching bridges on our planet. Hero's Glass Bridge in China, Bastei Bridge in Switzerland or the unusual Magdeburg Water Bridge in Germany. This is just a small part of the amazing bridges. So what makes the Øresund Bridge so special? Yes, by the fact that approximately in the middle, it visually breaks off and goes ... underground, or rather, under water.

The bridge connects the city of Malmö in Sweden and the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.

Øresund bridge on the map

The geographical coordinates of its middle are 55.591954, 12.769471
Distance from the capital of Denmark 0 km, as the bridge-tunnel starts directly from Copenhagen
Distance from the capital of Sweden Stockholm about 530 km in a straight line
The nearest airport is Kastrup (in Copenhagen) literally within walking distance from the beginning of the bridge-tunnel

The ferry service between Sweden and Denmark has been established for a long time. But it was also necessary to lay a land road. The idea to connect the Scandinavian Peninsula with mainland Europe by highway and railroad appeared long ago. Back in 1936, the need to build a bridge was expressed. But such a large-scale project began to be implemented only in 1995.

A lot of geological, technical, financial and other studies have been carried out. In the course of them, it became clear that the large island of Saltholm (translated as island-Sol), which lies almost in the middle of the strait, is not suitable for the base of the bridge. It was decided to lay the upper part of the bridge from the Swedish city of Malmö at a distance of slightly less than 8 kilometers.

Here begins the Øresund Bridge on the Swedish side

Further, the road should go about 3.7 kilometers along an artificial island, one and a half kilometers south of Saltholm Island and dive underground into a 4-kilometer-long tunnel. This tunnel and the entire route ends in the eastern part of Copenhagen near the Kastrup airport.

The presence of an airport in this place became a decisive factor in the construction of an underwater tunnel, rather than a traditional bridge. The fact is that for the passage of ships under the bridge, in any case, large spans and high pylons will be required. And this can create obstacles for planes to land.
The project was approved. The official start of construction is October 18, 1995.

According to the project, the bridge has 2 railway lines on the lower level and 4 car lanes on the upper level.

The railway is under the road

The height of the above-water part gradually increases towards its middle, and gradually decreases towards the artificial island. In the middle part there are pylons with a height of 204 meters, and between them a span of 490 meters. This ensures unhindered passage of ships, although it should be noted that the captains prefer to navigate their ships not here, but over the underwater part of the Øresund Bridge.

These are pylons with a height of 204 meters and a span of 490 meters between them.

Further, an artificial island about 4 kilometers long and no more than 460 meters wide was poured. The Danes named the island Peberholm (which means Peretz island). It really resembles pepper in shape. But there is also an interesting feature in the name. Usually in cafes and restaurants, salt and pepper are on the tables next to each other. So in the strait there is "Salt" (Saltholm island), but there is no "Pepper". The Danes corrected this misunderstanding by naming the artificial island "Pepper" (respectively Peberholm). This island stretches in the strait from east to west. Its western part is the beginning of an underwater tunnel. It is there that trains and cars "disappear" in order to "emerge" on the Danish side after 4 kilometers.

In this place, cars and trains disappear without a trace, so that after 4 kilometers they will solemnly emerge from the ground in Denmark

The underwater tunnel, called Drogden, is no less colossal structure than the upper part of the bridge. It is made up of 20 individual reinforced concrete sections, each weighing 55,000 tons. They were collected together already at the bottom of a specially dug channel in the strait. The tunnel consists of 5 channels. Two for rail transport, two for road transport and one spare, emergency passage in case of emergency.

Diagram of the Drogden tunnels under the Eresun Strait

The artificial island of Peperholm also has a helipad in case of an emergency.

Construction came to an end in mid-August 1999. Prince Frederick of Denmark and Princess Victoria of Sweden met in the middle of the bridge on 14 August, marking the end of construction. But the bridge was not yet accessible to the general public. The bridge was officially opened by the monarchs of Denmark (Queen Margaret II) and Sweden (King Carl Gustaf the 16th) on July 1, 2000. And from the same day, traffic was allowed.

Øresund bridge in numbers

The total length of the road connecting the two countries is 15.9 kilometers
Length of the above-water part of the bridge - 7 845 meters
The surface of the bridge weighs 82,000 tons
The length of the tunnel under water is 4 kilometers
The remaining kilometers of the path pass along the artificial island of Peberholm
The average height of the bridge over the sea is 57 meters
The maximum height of two pylons, built when creating an arch for the passage of sea vessels, reaches 204 meters (meaning the total height of the structure, not the height of the roadbed)
Bridge width - 23.5 meters

There is a narrower part of the strait 50 kilometers north of the bridge. Here, on opposite banks, cities with similar names are located, Helsingor (from the Danish side) and Helsingborg (from the Swedish side). The cities (and at the same time the countries) in this place are connected by a ferry crossing. The width of the strait here is only 4.7 kilometers, but the designers of the Øresund Bridge did not build it here, but chose a wider, but less dangerous part of the strait. This decision can be attributed to the difference in depth, 41 meters in the northern part of the strait versus 10 meters in the southern.

The construction cost of the Øresund Bridge is estimated at around 4 billion euros. Travel across the bridge is paid and not entirely cheap. Travel by car costs about 50 euros, and for long cars it even reaches 200 euros. But even at these prices, the project will pay for itself at best by 2030. In addition, a flexible system of discounts is provided for clients crossing the border via this bridge. If you travel along this route often, you can save up to 75% of the fare.

It was planned to add a bike path worth 210 million euros, but this idea was subsequently abandoned. As a result, there are no cycle paths or footpaths on the bridge.
Local residents have long been accustomed to the bridge, but for tourists it will be very interesting. You don't see a bridge to nowhere every day.

Øresund bridge photo

Above-water part of the Øresund bridge

And here begins a tunnel under the strait