The Masnedsund Bridge () is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

that crosses Masnedsund between the islands

Masnedø Masnedø () is a Denmark, Danish island between Zealand (Denmark), Zealand and Falster. The island covers an area of 1.68 km2 and has 156 inhabitants. Transportation Masnedø can be reached by the Masnedsund Bridge from Zealand or the Stors ...

and

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

() in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It carries road and railway traffic, as well as pedestrians and bicycles. Together with

Storstrøm Bridge The Storstrøm Bridge (, ) is a road and railway arch bridge that crosses Storstrømmen between the islands of Falster and Masnedø in Denmark. Together with Masnedsund Bridge it connects Falster and Zealand (''Sjælland''). It was the main r ...

it connects

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

and Zealand and was the main road connection between the islands until the Farø Bridges were opened in 1985. It was officially opened on 6 August 1937, and replaced an older railway bridge that was opened on 15 January 1884, and a ferry. The new bridges were commissioned by the Danish state railways (

Danske Statsbaner DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Denmark, Danish train operating company. It's also the largest train operating company in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train opera ...

) and designed by them with assistance from

Christiani & Nielsen Christiani & Nielsen was a construction contractor with major operations worldwide. It still trades in Thailand. History Christiani & Nielsen was established by Rudolf Christiani, a Danish civil engineer, and Aage Nielsen, a captain in the Roya ...

A/S of Copenhagen. Construction was by

Dorman Long Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. The company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired '' ...

and company, with Christiani & Nielsen acting as sub-contractors responsible for foundations and reinforced concrete sections. The contract for the work was signed on 13 May 1933. The bridge is 201 metres long and 8.8 metres wide, with main span of 25 metres. It rests on five piers, with abutments at either end. One of the piers contains the machinery for operating the bascule. Each pier has concrete foundations set into the bed of the sea. A cofferdam was placed around each pier site, before excavating and then filling with concrete. After the base slab had been laid, the cofferdams could be emptied of water and the rest of the pier was constructed. Timber piles were used for the construction of the abutment foundations, and to reinforce one of the piers. On 12 December 1935 an English steam ship ran into the old Masnedsund Bridge, and destroyed part of it. At that time the new bridge was being built, and it was decided to hasten the building. The railway part of the new bridge was opened on 22 December 1935. The movable span was permanently locked down in 2016; the last opening of the bridge occurred on 15 July 2016. The railway part of the bridge will be replaced by a new, separate bridge across Masnedsund by 2019–2020.

References

{{reflist

External links

Page with picture of Masnedsund BridgePictures of and data about Masnedsund and Storstrøm Bridges
Bridges in Denmark Bascule bridges Road bridges in Denmark Railway bridges in Denmark Road-rail bridges Bridges completed in 1937 1937 establishments in Denmark

See also

References

External links