The Farø Bridges ( da, Farøbroerne, ) are two

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s that connect the islands of Falster and

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

by way of the small island of

Farø Farø () is an island in Denmark, located between the islands Sjælland and Falster. It has an area of 0.93 km2 and has a population of four people (2019). Administratively it is part of Vordingborg Municipality. Access to the island The ...

which is approximately mid-way across the

Storstrømmen Storstrømmen (; lit. ''The Great Stream'') is a strait in Denmark separating the island Falster from the island Zealand. Geography Its maximum depth is approximately and the length is around . Smålandsfarvandet sound is situated to the w ...

sound. A smaller bridge from Farø provides access to

Bogø Bogø () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, just west of Møn. The population is 1,200 (1 January 2022) with 951 living in the only town on the island, ''Bogø By''. The island is approximately 7 km long by 3 km wide at the largest ...

and thence to the island of Møn.

History

The Farø Bridges were opened by

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

on 4 June 1985. They were built because of the increasing congestion problems on the old

Storstrøm Bridge The Storstrøm Bridge ( da, Storstrømsbroen, ) 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''). ...

from 1937.

Design

The high (south) bridge crosses

between Falster and

. It is a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...

. The bridge is 1,726 metres long, the longest span is 290 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 26 metres strung up on 95.14 meters high suspension towers, which was finished in 1984. It was one of the first cable-stayed bridges in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

(the first was the Strömsund Bridge). The two towers supporting the span are of 'diamond' shape construction, rising from a single point to either side of the roadway, then combining to one point above the centre of the bridge. There is only one row of suspension cables, along the centre of the roadway. The low (north) bridge crosses Kalvø Strøm between Farø and Zealand. It is a

beam bridge Beam bridges are the simplest structural forms for bridge spans supported by an abutment or pier at each end. No moments are transferred throughout the support, hence their structural type is known as '' simply supported''. The simplest beam ...

. The bridge is 1,596 metres long, the longest span is 40 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 20 metres. The construction was undertaken by a consortium of Campenon Bernard, Højgaard & Schultz, Kampax,

Monberg & Thorsen Monberg is a surname. List of people with the surname * Børge Monberg (1905–1990), Danish field hockey player * Jesper B. Monberg (born 1977), Danish speedway rider * Michael Monberg (born 1978), Danish politician * Terese Guinsatao Monber ...

and Polensky & Zöllner.

Routes

The Bridges carry the combined E47 route to Lolland and E55 route to Falster, from

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northe ...

, both of which continue to mainland Europe by ferry. A further crossing from Lolland, the

Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link The Fehmarn Belt fixed link ( da, Femern Bælt-forbindelsen, german: Fehmarnbelt-Querung) or Fehmarn Belt tunnel is an under-construction immersed tunnel, which will connect the Danish island of Lolland with the German island of Fehmarn, cros ...

may carry traffic to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, replacing the ferry.

References

External links

The Farø Bridge - Highways-Denmark.comPictures of the Farø BridgesPictures of and data about the Farø BridgesWebcam on the high bridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faro Bridges Bridges in Denmark Cable-stayed bridges in Denmark Beam bridges in Denmark Road bridges in Denmark Bridges completed in 1985 1985 establishments in Denmark Buildings and structures in Vordingborg Municipality Buildings and structures in Guldborgsund Municipality

History

Design

Routes

See also

References

External links