Oresund Bridge
Location: Oresund Strait, between Denmark & Sweden
Category: World Greatest Bridges

View of the Oresund Bridge at sunset
by jorchr, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:%C3%96resundsbron_i_solnedg%C3%A5ng_2.jpg, used under GNU Free Documentation License


Oresund Bridge is the longest road and rail bridge-tunnel in Europe. It crosses the Oresund straits that separates Denmark from Swedish, to bridge Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, with the Swedish city of Malmö. European motorway route E20 crosses the bridge along with the Oresund Railway Line. The bridge is called Öresundsbron in Sweden and Øresundbroen in Denmark, while the bridge company itself refers to it as Øresundsbron, a hybrid of the Swedish and Danish spelling of the name.

Construction of the Oresund Bridge was started in 1995, and was completed on 14 August, 1999. On 1 July 2000, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark join King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in its official inauguration. When it was first opened, the volume of traffic was lower than forecasted. It only began to pick up from 2005, as more Danes working in Copenhagen began buying homes in Malmo, where the price of housing is lower. As of 2006, the bridge toll is DKK 235 and SEK 290, equivalent to 32 euros for a single car ride, with up to 75% discount for regular commuters. A train ride across the bridge costs SEK 90.

The Oresund Bridge has one of the longest cable-stayed main spans in the world, at 490 metres (1608 feet). The highest pillar stands 204 m (669ft). The section over water is 7,845m (25,738ft), roughly half the distance between Sweden and Denmark, and weighs 82,000 metric tons. The entire project cost DKK 30.1 billion.

Where in the world is Oresund Bridge?

The Oresund Bridge links Copenhagen in Denmark with Malmö in Sweden, across the Oresund Strait.

How to go to Oresund Bridge?

Take E20 Highway will connect you from Copenhagen to Malmö and vice versa.