Omsund Bridge
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Omsund Bridge Omsundbrua |
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|---|---|
The two bridges seen from Frei
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| Coordinates | 63°06′17″N 7°49′18″E / 63.1046°N 7.8216°ECoordinates: 63°06′17″N 7°49′18″E / 63.1046°N 7.8216°E |
| Carries | 70 |
| Crosses | Omsundet |
| Locale | Kristiansund, Norway |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Material | Concrete |
| Total length | 292 metres (958 ft) |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Clearance above | 18 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1981 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 9,500 (2012) |
The Omsund Bridge (Norwegian: Omsundbrua) is a bridge that crosses the strait Omsundet between the islands of Frei and Nordlandet in Kristiansund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The link is actually made up of two bridges: The main bridge crosses form Nordlandet to the islet of Rensvikholmen and then the smaller Rensviksundet bridge completes the crossing to Frei.
Prior to the merger of Kristiansund and Frei municipalities on 1 January 2008, the bridges crossed the border between the two municipalities. The original bridge was in use from 1940 until 1981. The second bridge is currently in use, and a third bridge has been proposed. The bridges lies just south of the Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget.
A bridge crossing of Omsundet was initially proposed in 1875 by the town engineer in Kristiansund, colonel Christian Fredrik Bødtker, together with a bridge crossing of Nordsundet, but no bridges were built.
The 200-metre (660 ft) long original bridge is a steel through arch bridge. The Omsund Bridge was opened for traffic in April 1940, but with no opening ceremony because of World War II and the invasion of Norway. Local young men just tore down the barricades in the middle of the night.
On 22 April 1940, German bombers tried to destroy the new bridge, but missed and managed only to kill the 15-year-old boy Ingolf Helge Vatten on a bicycle several hundred meters away on Frei, and set the forest on fire on Nordlandet. Remains of one of the bombs that caused the wildfire are on display next to the abutment. In May that year, the new bridge was crucial during the emergency evacuation caused by the burning of Kristiansund.
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