The Masnedsund Bridge ( da, Masnedsundbroen) 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 Danish island between 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 Storstrøm Bridge from Falster. Th ...

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 ...

( da, Sjælland) in

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

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

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''). ...

it connects Falster and Zealand and was the main road connection between the islands until the

Farø Bridges The Farø Bridges ( da, Farøbroerne, ) are two road bridges that connect the islands of Falster and Zealand in Denmark by way of the small island of Farø which is approximately mid-way across the Storstrømmen sound. A smaller bridge from Far ...

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 Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, go ...

) and designed by them with assistance from

Christiani & Nielsen Christiani & Nielsen (Thai) Public Company Limited is a construction contractor with major operations in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Originally a Danish company, it is today a listed company majority owned by the GP Group. The company provide ...

A/S of Copenhagen. Construction was by Dorman Long 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

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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