Two for One: Arch Bridge Between Sweden and Norway

Offering an economic solution to construction costs, a new bridge linking Gothenburg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway is being built. At a total length of 477 m, the bridge has a concrete arch span of 225 m to support a composite steel deck. The arch, itself, has been formed from a three-cell hollow concrete box, with circular piers made of solid concrete and 2 m in diameter. As an alternative to the steel composite section, the bridge uses two airtight steel boxes. While the size of the steel boxes is a first for Swedish bridges, the method is designed to both reduce the amount of steel needed in the structure as well as the amount of the structure that would need to be painted. The author also notes that the bridge uses a mixture of techniques not often seen together, including the partial use of scaffolding and the free-cantilevering method. Moreover, the arches are built using a combination of both falsework and the free-cantilevering method, rather than the selection of just one overall method.