Sotra Bridge

Historie

The Sotra Bridge is a suspension bridge which crosses Knarreviksundet between Knarrevik in Fjell and Drotningsvik on the mainland of Bergen in Hordaland, Norway. It carries two road lanes and two narrow pedestrian paths of National Road 555, providing a fixed link for the archipelago of Sotra. The bridge is long, has a main span of and a clearance of. In 2007, it had an average 25,494 vehicles per day.The bridge was brought into use on 11 December 1971, although not officially opened until 1972. It cost 40 million Norwegian krone to build, of which NOK 23.5 million was paid for with tolls, which were collected until 1983. When it opened, it was the longest suspension bridge in Norway, but is now the seventh longest. There exist plans to build a second bridge to either expand the road to four lanes, or carry a proposed extension of the Bergen Light Rail. Alternatively, a subsea tunnel could be built to carry a motorway.SpecificationsThe concrete bridge crosses Knarreviksundet, which separates the island of Litlesotra, part of the Sotra archipelago, from the mainland and Bergen. The western part of the bridge, on Sotra, lies in Knarrevik in Fjell, while the eastern part lies in Drotningsvik in Bergen. The bridge is long with a main span of. It carries two lanes of National Road 555, with a combined width of. In addition, it has a 0.8m wide sidewalk on each side. In 2009, it had an annual average daily traffic of 25,494 vehicles. Because it is located across the sound, the bridge is vulnerable to winds from the north and south. It is closed whenever the wind speed exceeds.