This unique roadway connects the Danish capital of Copenhagen to the Swedish city of Malmö. The Øresund, designed by the Danish architect George K.S. Rotne, was opened on July 1, 2000. The bridge stretches about 8km before transitioning through an artificial island into a 4km tunnel under the Flint Channel.
The site is interesting both biologically and architecturally: the Lund’s Botanical Association has identified more than 500 different species of plants on the island, which was constructed from material dredged from the seabed. Most of the concrete tunnel was cast on land and towed out to the location.
A cable-stayed bridge runs nearly 8 km (5 miles) to an artificial island where it transitions into a tunnel that runs another 4 km (2.5 miles). The award-winning double-track railway and motorway opened on July 1, 2000.
The cable-stayed bridge features two 204 m high pylons supporting the 490 m long bridge span across the Flinte Channel. The motorway runs on the upper level while the railway runs below.
Most of the bridge structures, including the piers and spans, were built on land and towed out by large floating cranes. Only the pylons were cast ‘in situ’.
Approximately two-thirds of the people travelling across the Øresund go by train with the journey between Copenhagen and Malmö taking about 35 minutes.Thanks to the fixed link the Øresund provides, a region of 3.7 million inhabitants has been created and allows people to live and work on either side.