Uddevalla Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name=Uddevalla Bridge


caption=Uddevalla Bridge
official_name=
carries=European route E6
crosses=Sunninge sound
locale=Swedish municipality of Uddevalla
maint=Swedish National Road Administration
id=
design=Cable-stayed bridge
mainspan=414 m (1358 ft)
length=1712 m (5617 ft)
width=2 vehicular lanes in each direction
clearance=
below=51 m (167 ft)
traffic=
open=May 20, 2000
closed=
map_cue=
map_

map_text=
map_width=
lat=58.325091
long=11.845161The Uddevalla Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge crossing Sunninge sound near Uddevalla in the province of Bohuslan on the west coast of Sweden. The bridge was constructed as part of the rerouting of the European route E6 outside Uddevalla, which reduced traffic congestion in the city and shortened traveling distance by 12 kilometers.

Dimensions

The total length is 1712 meters (5617 feet), with a main span of 414 meters (1358 feet), there are a number of small approach spans at each end, and the two cable stayed side spans are 179 meters (587 feet) each. The clearance below the bridge is 51 meters (167 feet), and the two pylons are 149 meters (489 feet) tall. The cables are organised in the fan arrangement.

The bridge was constructed between 1996 and 2000 and was opened for traffic on May 20, 2000.

Construction notes

Structural engineering for the bridge was carried out by Johs Holt AS, and Skanska Teknik AB. Skanska AB also served as general contractor, with subcontractors Alpin Technik und Ingenieurservice GmbH (general), VSL International (cables), mageba (bearings), and PERI GmbH (Formwork and Scaffolding)

The cables are steel and the deck is composite steel-reinforced concrete, while the pylons are reinforced concrete. About 9,000 metric tonnes of structural steel and 35,000 cubic meters of concrete were used. The Skanska site (linked below) gives a project cost of SEK 723 M/ USD 85 M in 2000 currency values.

There is a problem with ice sticking to the cables in the winter, which can fall onto cars. The bridge has to be closed a few times per year for this reason. The alternative road is 12 km longer. Civil engineers have tested PETD (a way to use a burst of electricity to remove ice caked on walls or windows. For surfaces coated with a special film, the jolt gets rid of ice in less than a second, far less time than it takes to hack at it with an ice scraper.) and decided to cover the Uddevalla Bridge in a 12-mil-thick PETD foil to keep it from icing over.

External links

* [http://www.vv.se/templates/page3wide____13817.aspx Swedish Road Administration's picture page]
*
* [http://www.sm.chalmers.se/forskning/simulering/uddevalla/uddevalla-e.htm Virtual Reality] stress analysis of the bridge, as well as flythroughs.
* [http://news.com.com/A+high-tech+way+to+defrost/2100-11395_3-6061333.html A high-tech way to defrost] , PETD article on CNet <= to do: create "PETD" page