The Gjemnessund Bridge ( no, Gjemnessundbrua) is a suspension bridge that crosses the Gjemnessundet strait between the mainland and the island of Bergsøya in the municipality of

Gjemnes Gjemnes is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal peninsula. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Batnfjordsøra, which lies along the Batnfjorden and it is a former steamshi ...

in Møre og Romsdal 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 the ...

. The bridge was the longest suspension bridge in Norway until the opening of the

Hardanger Bridge The Hardanger Bridge ( no, Hardangerbrua) is a suspension bridge across the Eidfjorden branch off of the main Hardangerfjorden in Vestland county, Norway. The bridge connects the municipalities of Ullensvang and Ulvik. It replaced a ferry con ...

in 2013, although it did not have the longest span (), being eclipsed by the

Askøy Bridge The Askøy Bridge ( no, Askøybroen) is a suspension bridge that crosses the Byfjorden between the municipalities of Bergen and Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. It is long and has a main span of . Its span was the longest for any suspension b ...

Gjemnessund Bridge was opened in 1992, and has 21 spans with a maximum clearance to the sea of . It was built as part of the

Krifast The Kristiansund Mainland Connection ( or abbreviated ''Krifast'') is a road system consisting of the European route E39 highway and Norwegian National Road 70 that connects Kristiansund Municipality to the neighboring islands of Frei, Bergs ...

project, the mainland road connection of the city of

Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of ...

(along with the

Freifjord Tunnel The Freifjord Tunnel ( no, Freifjordtunnelen) is a long undersea tunnel under the Freifjorden in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tunnel is part of the Norwegian National Road 70. The tunnel begins on the island of Frei in Kristiansund ...

and the Bergsøysund Bridge). Many bridges slowly deteriorate and need to be repaired because the salty

seawater Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has appr ...

damages the

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

and the iron inside it. The Gjemnessund Bridge has had a problem with

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s, whose

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...

contain salt and

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...

. The salt and ammonia damages the concrete. To prevent this, the bridge is cleaned, and the critical parts of the concrete are covered with an elastic membrane that protects the concrete against the manure and the harmful content.

References

Bridges in Møre og Romsdal Suspension bridges in Norway Bridges completed in 1992 Gjemnes 1992 establishments in Norway European route E39 in Norway Road bridges in Norway {{norway-bridge-stub