Öresund bridge: the most unusual bridge in Europe that goes under water

This bridge, located in the Öresund Strait, connecting the Baltic and North Seas, is perhaps the most original in Europe. Starting on the Swedish coast, the Öresund bridge for 3 kilometers looks like a completely traditional bridge, with supports and roadbed. But then the bridge transforms into a tunnel and sinks into the water, reaching the surface already in Denmark. Today we will tell you how this bridge was built and why it has such an unusual design.

The Öresund Strait is very narrow, and a ferry service has been operating at this place for a long time, connecting the Swedish city of Malmo and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The relations between the two countries are very close, so there was a lively passenger flow between the cities. Therefore, the question arose of building a permanent bridge that would connect the two countries. In addition, the Eressunsky bridge was to become part of the pan-European transport route that would connect Sweden with continental Europe.

When builders began building a bridge between Sweden and the Danish island of Amager in 1995, they were in for an unpleasant surprise. On the route of the bridge, more than 10 unexploded ordnance was found during the Second World War, which required additional time and material costs.

The architect of the unusual bridge was the architect George Rotne. Eressunsky bridge has a total length of 7,845 meters and consists of two sections: cable-stayed bridge and underwater tunnel. The length of the tunnel is 4050 meters, that is, more than half the length of the entire bridge. There are 4 lanes for automobile traffic and 2 railway tracks on the bridge.

In the place where the bridge goes under the water and turns into a tunnel, an artificial island was built, which received a rather original name. The Danish island, located a little to the north, is called Saltholm, which means "Salt Island". Therefore, the artificial island that arose during the construction of the Eressun Bridge, it was decided to name Peberholm, which translates as "Pepper Island". It is interesting that at the initial stage of construction it was planned to use the island of Saltholm as a stronghold for the bridge. But this island has a unique ecology: thousands of swans, geese, ducks and eiders live here. Therefore, in order to preserve the valuable world of birds, it was decided not to involve Saltholm in large-scale construction, but to build an artificial island nearby.

As for the tunnel itself, its construction is largely due to the location of the capital's airport. The fact is that in the immediate vicinity of the bridge is Kastrup Airport, which is not only the largest in Denmark, but throughout Scandinavia. In order not to jeopardize the approaching airliners, it was decided to submerge part of the bridge under water. From such an engineering solution, sea-going vessels, which were able to freely cross the Öresund Strait, also benefited. The bridge itself, the movement on which was opened in 2000, became the most original similar construction in Europe.