Varodd Bridge
Coordinates: 58°9′40″N 8°3′20″E / 58.16111°N 8.05556°E
| Old Varodd Bridge Gamle Varoddbrua | |
|---|---|
 The Old Varodd Bridge, and the New Varodd Bridge in the background | |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge[1] |
| Total length | 618 metres (2,028 ft)[2] |
| Height | 70 metres (230 ft)[2] |
| Longest span | 337 metres (1,106 ft)[1] |
| No. of spans | 8 |
| Clearance below | 30 metres (98 ft)[2] |
| History | |
| Opened | 1956[1] |
The Varodd Bridges are two parallel bridges in Kristiansand municipality, in Vest-Agder county, Norway, and they cross the Topdalsfjorden. They are named after the peninsula on the western shore. It goes from Vige and ends in Søm in Kristiansand. The bridges carry the European route E18 highway over the fjord.[3]
Old Bridge
The Old Varodd Bridge is the older of the two bridges, which opened in 1956. It is a 618 metres (2,028 ft) long suspension bridge, with a main span of 337 metres (1,106 ft). The two towers reaches 70 metres (230 ft) above sea level.[1][2] Before the completion of the second bridge, this was the only bridge crossing Topdalsfjorden, making it a two-lane bridge carrying traffic in both directions. Now, the Old Varodd Bridge only carries eastbound traffic.[3] This bridge is scheduled for replacement in 2020. The replacement bridge is going to be built in between the two current bridges and construction will begin in early 2017.[4]
New Bridge
| New Varodd Bridge Nye Varoddbrua | |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge[5] |
| Total length | 660 metres (2,170 ft)[5] |
| Longest span | 260 metres (850 ft)[5] |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Clearance below | 32 metres (105 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1993[5] |
The New Varodd Bridge is parallel to the older bridge, and was completed in 1993 at a cost of US$13 million.[6] It is a cantilever bridge with four spans. The main span is 260 metres (850 ft) and a total length of 663 metres (2,175 ft).[5] The bridge has a 32-metre (105 ft) clearance below it. The bridge was built solely to relieve the traffic on the older bridge, and the two lanes only handles westbound traffic.[3]
Media gallery
Varodd Bridges
View of the bridges from beneath
View of the bridges (Old on left, new on right)
View from the south
References
- 1 2 3 4 Varodd Bridge at Structurae
- 1 2 3 4 "Old Varodd Bridge". Bridge-Info.org. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- 1 2 3 Merzagora, Eugenio A. (ed.). "Road Viaducts & Bridges in Norway (> 500 m)". Norske bruer og viadukter. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
- ↑ "Varoddbrua-Om Prosjektet" (in Norwegian). Statens vegvesen. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Varodd Bridge at Structurae
- ↑ "Construction Facts - The Sourcebook of Statistics, Records and Resources" (PDF), Engineering News Record, McGraw Hill, vol. 251, Number 20a, November 2003, retrieved 9 August 2014