Hardanger Bridge


The Hardanger Bridge 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 connection between Bruravik and Brimnes, and thereby shortens the driving time between Oslo and Bergen. It is the longest suspension bridge in Norway.

Construction

The bridge was approved for building by the Norwegian Parliament on February 28, 2006, and construction began on February 26, 2009. While the bridge was engineered by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the construction was done by MT Højgaard. The project had a budget of and more than half of this will be paid by toll and saved ferry subsidies. The Administration is considering a different route over a future bridge as the main connection between East and West.
The bridge is long, with a main span of. The maximum deck height is and the towers reach above sea level. There are two driving lanes for cars with an speed limit, and a separate lane for pedestrians and cyclists. The deck height means that the largest cruise ships cannot reach the inner Hardangerfjord any more.
The traffic predicted for the bridge was estimated to be 2000 vehicles per day. The opening of the bridge took place on 17 August 2013.
The main span is one of the longest suspension bridge spans in the world. It is also the longest tunnel to tunnel suspension bridge in the world. On the south end of the bridge, cars immediately enter the Bu Tunnel that goes under the village of Bu, while on the north side of the bridge, cars immediately enter the Vallavik Tunnel which includes a long segment to a roundabout inside the tunnel. At the roundabout, cars can take another long tunnel that leads to Ulvik or they can take a long tunnel to Granvin.

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