The Tromsø Bridge ( no, Tromsøbrua) is a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

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 ...

in the city of Tromsø which is located in

Tromsø Municipality Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 2 ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It crosses the

Tromsøysundet or is a strait located in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long strait separates the island of Tromsøya (the location of the city of Tromsø) from the mainland east of the island. The strait is crossed by the Trom ...

strait between

Tromsdalen Tromsdalen ( sme, Romssavággi Sálašvággi) is an urban neighborhood in the city of Tromsø which is in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city centre on the mainland along the coas ...

on the mainland and the island of

Tromsøya or is an island in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It lies in the Tromsøysundet strait between the mainland and the larger island of Kvaløya. The city of Tromsø is located on the island, which has 39,882 resident ...

. The bridge has 58 spans, of which the longest is with a maximum clearance to the sea of .

History

Construction began in 1958 and the bridge was opened in 1960. At the time of its opening, it was the longest bridge in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, with a length of . At a cost of , the bridge replaced an inefficient ferry connection between the two sides of the strait, and it helped boost the growth and development of Tromsø. Due to severe congestion issues, the mainland road connection was later reinforced by the construction of the

Tromsøysund Tunnel The Tromsøysund Tunnel ( no, Tromsøysundtunnelen) is an undersea highway tunnel in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The tunnel runs under the Tromsøysundet strait, connecting the island of Tromsøya (and the city of Tro ...

in the 1990s. Unlike the tunnel, located almost further north, the Tromsø Bridge leads directly to the city centre of Tromsø. The Tromsø Bridge was the first cantilever bridge to be built in Norway. Since then, many bridges of this type have been built. The bridge is one of the most important landmarks of Tromsø, and forms part of a motif composed of the

Arctic Cathedral Tromsdalen Church or the Arctic Cathedral ( no, Tromsdalen kirke, Ishavskatedralen) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the Tromsdalen valley on the east side ...

, the

Tromsdalstinden or is a mountain in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The tall mountain is located at the southern end of the Tromsdalen valley, just southeast of the city of Tromsø. Snowfall varies from one year to another, but the p ...

mountain, and the Tromsø Bridge. In 2000, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage protected the bridge against modifications. In 2005, the fencing was raised by two and a half meters, and seven years later, Norway's road authority planned on adding extra fencing onto many bridges to help prevent

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tromso Bridge Bridges completed in 1960 Road bridges in Troms og Finnmark Buildings and structures in Tromsø 1960 establishments in Norway Roads within the Arctic Circle