Nordhordland Bridge

Nordhordland Bridge is a bridge that crosses Salhusfjorden between the mainland and Flatoy in Hordaland county, Norway. The bridge connects the district of Nordhordland to the city of Bergen.

Nordhordland Bridge

Crosses                   Salhus Fjord

Locale                     Bergen, Norway

Total length            1614 metres

Longest span          172 metres

Clearance below     32 metres

Opening date         1994 

Nordhordland Bridge is a pontoon and cable-stayed bridge with one tower. The cable-stay part of the bridge has 19 spans. Due to the 500 meter depth of the sea beneath the bridge, lateral anchorage between the abutments at each end was not possible. To accommodate this unusual condition, there was a great deal of additional analysis in design of the footings at each end of the bridge. The free-floating bridge has the longest laterally-unsupported span in the world. Nordhordland Bridge was opened in 1994 as the second permanent pontoon bridge in Norway. (The first was Bergsoysund Bridge in Bergsoya Bridge.) The bridge ceased being a toll bridge on December 31, 2005 at 16:00. In 2007, the bridge had an average daily traffic of 13,239 vehicles, up from 7975 vehicles in 2000. 

Construction

This bridge was designed using American technology for floating bridges, combined with Norwegian technology for offshore platforms. The bridge designers researched other bridges in the world and travelled to Washington State, USA to visit the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge and the Hood Canal Bridge, two floating bridges. The continuous floating concrete structure used in the Washington bridges was ultimately ruled out in favor of the discrete floating concrete pier design. This design afforded: 1) an elevated roadway that reduced traffic hazards in storms, 2) a reduction in corrosion of the bridge deck, and 3) improved passage of water beneath the bridge thereby supporting native species.