Götaälvbron () was 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 ...

in central

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden, carrying normal road vehicles and

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

. The bridge was constructed in 1937 to 1939 and in 1966 it was widened. It was closed for decommissioning in June 2021. Constructed of steel beam, the bridge had a total length of and width of . The mid span had a free height of .

Geography

The bridge connected the island of

Hisingen Hisingen () is the fifth-largest island of Sweden (after Gotland, Öland, Södertörn and Orust), with an area of . It is a river island, formed by the split of the Göta Älv at Bohus Fortress, Bohus, and is defined to the east and south by t ...

with the main land of Gothenburg between Nils Ericssongatan and Hjalmar Brantningsgatan on Hisingen. The bridge crossed the river just east of Lilla Bommen on the mainland side and just east of Freeport on the Hisingen side.

History

As far back as the 1870s, there were discussions about a high bridge in Majorna, from Bangatan to Skat Mountain in Lindholmen. In 1904, it was proposed to build a tunnel between the Lilla Bommen and Tingstadsvassen. After the decision that the old bridge of Hisingen would be replaced, the choice was between a new bridge or a tunnel. A principle decision was taken in 1933 on what would become a "Götaälvbro" and the question was consequently put on hold for some time. Preparatory ground works began in November 1935. The bridge is used by motor vehicles, trams, bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge cost 8.2 million Swedish kronor (SEK) to construct, of which the state contributed 25%. With access points included the final cost were 13 million SEK.Göteborgs kanaler och broar berättar, Bengt A. Öhnander, Tre Böcker Förlag AB, Göteborg 2007 s.80-81 The bridge was built mainly by Germans and was inaugurated on 26November 1939 by Communications Minister Gerhard Strindlund, in the presence of representatives of port authorities from

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

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and

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. At the time, the bridge was only four-lane, but was later expanded by one lane and walking and cycle tracks on each side. Until 1968, the heavy transit traffic of the E6 highway used the bridge, but even in 2016, the bridge is the most important connection primarily for local traffic and public transport between central Gothenburg and Hisingen even with the presence of Älvsborgsbron, Tingstadstunneln and Angeredsbron. With the construction of Hisingsbron which began in 2017 and opened traffic for pedestrians, bicycles, cars and buses on 9 May 2021. Götaälvbron stopped traffic on 12 June 2021.

Future

Gotaälvbron has now been replaced by Hisingsbron, approximately one block east.SVT.se: Ny Götaälvbro öster om nuvarande Demolition could not take place until Hisingsbron had been built, as the former bridge served as Hisingen's only tram link with the mainland. The demolition of the bridge began during the summer of 2021 in conjunction with the opening of Hisingsbron, and was completed in spring 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotaalvbron Bridges in Sweden Hisingen Bridges completed in 1939 1939 establishments in Sweden Transport in Gothenburg Bascule bridges 1930s establishments in Gothenburg and Bohus County 2021 disestablishments in Sweden 21st-century disestablishments in Västra Götaland County