Fehmarn Belt bridge

The Fehmarn Belt bridge (Danish: " _da. Femern Bælt-forbindelsen", German: " _de. Fehmarnbelt-Querung") is a project to connect the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland with a bridge crossing the convert|18|km|mi|0|lk=on|adj=on wide Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea. It is expected to be completed 2018. [ [http://www.trend-news.com/default.asp?newsid=3157 Multi billion euro Denmark/Germany bridge link] trend-news]

Characteristics

The bridge will have a total length of approximately convert|19|km|mi|0|abbr=on and will be constructed as a triple-span cable-stayed bridge with each of the three spans being convert|724|m|ft|0|lk=on long. The four pillars carrying the bridge will be approximately convert|280|m|ft|0|abbr=on tall. The vertical clearance will be convert|65|m|ft|0|abbr=on allowing sea traffic with large ships to and from the Baltic Sea to go beneath it.

The design involves four road lanes and two rail tracks. The latest cost estimate is DKK 42 bn (EUR 5 bn)

This cost includes EUR 1.5 bn for other improvements such as electrifying and rebuilding convert|160|km|mi|0|abbr=on of railway from single to double track. New bridges at Fehmarn Sound (1 km) and Storstrøm (above 3 km/about 2 miles) would be needed. However, according to the treaty the Fehmarn Sound bridge need not be replaced, and the Storstrøm Bridge will also not be replacedhttp://www.sundogbaelt.dk/femern/Menu/dk/Femern+B%C3%A6lt+forbindelsen+og+milj%C3%B8et+2006,+Milj%C3%B8konsultations-rapport/Beskrivelse+af+projektet/Tekniske+l%C3%B8sningsmodeller+for+de+danske+landanl%C3%A6g] . Also, the German double track construction will be delayed by seven years according to the treaty.

The bridge and the double track will shorten the rail journey from Hamburg to Copenhagen from 4¾ to 3-3¼ hours. According to plansthere will be one passenger train and two freight trains over the bridge per direction per hour. There will be congestion and delays on the German side with this traffic if the double track construction is delayed.

The road between Copenhagen and Hamburg is already motorway except for 25 km in Germany (35 km until 2008). The rest is a single carriageway expressway. It shall be widened to a motorway except the Fehmarn Sound (1 km). It is possible that it will be delayed much further since the forecasted AADT, 9000 vehicles, does not make a four-lane road necessary. There is no penalty in the treaty for delayed construction.

The project is comparable to the Øresund Bridge, the Great Belt Bridge or plans for the Strait of Messina Bridge and will be the largest planned infrastructure project in Northern Europe. The route is the main connection between Hamburg, (Hamburg Metropolitan Region), and Copenhagen/Malmö, (Øresund Region); (in German: _de. "Vogelfluglinie", in Danish: " _da. fugleflugtslinjen") as well as further destinations in Scandinavia.

Project history

On 29 June 2007, an interim agreement was reached in Berlin between the Danish and German authorities (represented by their transport ministers) to proceed with the construction of the bridge [ [http://www.trm.dk/sw43883.asp?path={06CA10FF-97FD-422E-BFB9-5B8CD5FC222A}.

Comments by Danish Transport and energy secretary Flemming Hansen, June 29, 2007] ] .Details provided by Danmarks Radio state that the Fehmarn Belt bridge will run convert|19|km|mi|0|abbr=on from a point about convert|2|km|mi|0|abbr=on west of Rødby in Denmark to Puttgarden on the island of Fehmarn which is already connected by bridge to the German mainland. Construction will start in 2011 and is expected to be completed in 2018.

The bridge will be financed by state-guaranteed loans, which will be paid by the road and train fees. Denmark will be solely responsible for guaranteeing the funding of the project at an estimated cost of DKK 35 billion or EUR 4.7 billion [ [http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2007/06/29/145300.htm?nyheder Danmark hænger på Femern-regning, Danmarks Radio 29 June 2007] ] . German participation will be limited to the development of the land-based facilities on the German side [ [http://www.bmvbs.de/-,302.1000913/Tiefensee-Durchbruch-fuer-fest.htm Tiefensee: Durchbruch für feste Fehmarnbeltquerung, German ministry of transport 29 June 2007] ] . Denmark will own the bridge outright, will be allowed to keep the fees after the loans have been paid, and will enjoy any employment opportunities at the toll station. The fees are also planned to pay for the Danish railway upgrading.

On the German side the road shall be upgraded to 4 lanes and railway to 2 tracks according to the treaty. This will be paid by the German tax payers, not by the bridge fees.

On 3 September 2008, the ministers of transportation from Denmark and Germany – Carina Christensen and Wolfgang Tiefensee – signed the treaty for the construction of the Femern Belt bridge, at a ceremony held in Copenhagen [ [http://www.sundogbaelt.dk/uk/Menu/Femern+B%C3%A6lt Femern Bælt A/S' responsibilities] ] . It will now have to be ratified by the respective parliaments.

Criticism

There have been objections from local people in Germany, both those fearing loss of jobs in connection with today’s intensive ferry traffic and environmental protectionists who believe wildlife will suffer from the project [ [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2651109,00.html Report from Deutsche Welle 29 June 2007] ] .

A Gedser-Rostock bridge, about convert|50|km|mi|0|abbr=on further east, has been proposed as an alternative to the Fehmarn Belt bridge. Proponents argue it would be better situated as a link from Scandinavia to Berlin, Poland and Eastern Europe.

References

External links

* [http://www.fehmarnlink.com/ Official website]
*da icon [http://www.trm.dk/sw68728.asp Femern Bælt, Danish traffic ministry]
*da icon [http://www.trm.dk/sw13866.asp Pictures, Danish traffic ministry]