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Great Belt Fixed Link

The Great Belt Bridge
(The East Bridge)
Storebæltsbroen from Sjælland.jpg
The East Bridge as seen from the Sjælland side.
Coordinates 55°20′31″N 11°02′10″E / 55.34194°N 11.03611°E / 55.34194; 11.03611
Carries Motor vehicles
Crosses Great Belt
Official name Østbroen
Maintained by A/S Storebælt
Characteristics
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)
History
Designer COWI & Ramboll
Construction end 1998
Opened 14 June 1998
Statistics
Toll 240.00 DKK ($36.40) per car.
The West Bridge
Storebæltsbroen2.jpg
The West bridge (foreground) seen from Nyborg at Funen.
Coordinates 55°18′42″N 10°54′23″E / 55.31167°N 10.90639°E / 55.31167; 10.90639
Carries Motor vehicles, trains
Crosses Great Belt
Official name Vestbroen
Maintained by A/S Storebælt
Characteristics
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)
The East Tunnel
Overview
Official name Østtunnelen
Location Great Belt
Coordinates 55°21′15″N 11°01′59″E / 55.35417°N 11.03306°E / 55.35417; 11.03306
Status Active
Start Halsskov
End Sprogø
Operation
Opened 1 June 1997
Traffic Trains
Character Mainline railway
Technical
Length 8,024 metres (4.986 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Electrified 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Highest elevation −15.1 metres (−50 ft)
Lowest elevation −75 metres (−246 ft)
Grade 16 ‰ (max)
External image
Photos from the pylons More photos

The Great Belt Fixed link (Danish: Storebæltsforbindelsen) is a multi-element fixed link crossing the Great Belt straight between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. It consists of five structures: a road suspension bridge and a railway tunnel between Zealand and the small island Sprogø located in the middle of the Great Belt, and a box girder bridge for both road and rail traffic 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 box-girder bridge or the link in its entirety. The suspension bridge, officially 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 engineering firms COWI and Ramboll. The link replaced the ferry service that 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; the original intent was to complete the railway link three years before opening the road connection, but the link opened to rail traffic in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. At an estimated cost of DKK 21.4 billion (1988 prices), the link is the largest construction project in Danish history.

Operation and maintenance are 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 ten minutes. The construction of the link and the Øresund Bridge have together enabled driving from mainland Europe to Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia through Denmark. Cyclists are not permitted to use the bridge, but cycles may be transported by train or bus.


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