Øresund Bridge#Øresund Tunnel

Over the years, there have been several proposals for a fixed link across the strait. One of the most radical was to dam the strait and then pump out the water to create land for development. Ideas for a fixed link across the Øresund were advanced as early as the late 1800s.{{cite web| url=https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/about-oresundsbron/about-us/history| title=Øresundsbron's history| publisher=Øresundsbron| access-date=9 March 2025}} And in 1910, proposals were put to the Swedish Parliament for a railway tunnel across the strait, which would have comprised two tunnelled sections linked by a surface road across the island of Saltholm."A Submarine Military Tunnel". Scientific American, 6 August 1910, p. 104 The concept of a bridge over the Øresund was first formally proposed in 1936 by a consortium of engineering firms who proposed a national motorway network for Denmark.{{cite thesis |type=Ph.D. |last=Boge |first=Knut |date=2006 |title=Votes Count but the Number of Seats Decides: A comparative historical case study of 20th century Danish, Swedish and Norwegian road policy. |publisher=DBI Norwegian School of Management |url=http://web.bi.no/forskning%5Cpapers.nsf/wSeriesDissertation/2445DA8105266C8DC12575A000466342| access-date= 11 January 2016}}{{cite journal| last=Marstrand| first=Wilhelm| url=http://www.e-pages.dk/ingarkiv/4807/html5/?page=17| journal=Ingeniøren| date=14 March 1936| language=da| pages=67–70| title=Det Store Vej - og broprojekt Motorveje med broer over storebælt og Øresund| trans-title=The Great Road and Bridge Project Motorway with Bridge over the Great Belt and Øresund| access-date=20 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172752/http://www.e-pages.dk/ingarkiv/4807/html5/?page=17| archive-date=23 September 2015| url-status=live}}

The idea was dropped during World War II, but picked up again thereafter and studied in significant detail in various Danish-Swedish government commissions through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954, the first Øresund Delegation was appointed to investigate the conditions for a bridge link. In its final report in 1962, the delegation proposed a {{convert|53|m|abbr=on}} high bridge of reinforced concrete. The cost was estimated at SEK 600 million and was to be financed by a bridge toll of SEK 15.

However, disagreement existed regarding the placement and exact form of the link, with some arguing for a link at the narrowest point of the sound at Helsingør–Helsingborg, north of Copenhagen, and some arguing for a more direct link from Copenhagen to Malmö. Additionally, some regional and local interests argued that other bridge and road projects, notably the then-unbuilt Great Belt Fixed Link, should take priority. The governments of Denmark and Sweden eventually signed an agreement to build a fixed link in 1973.{{cite book| last1=OECD| title=OECD Territorial Reviews OECD Territorial Reviews: Oresund, Denmark/Sweden 2003| date=2003| publisher=OECD Publishing| isbn=978-9264100800| page=77| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K3Vu8FHavKgC&pg=PA77| access-date=18 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119150657/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=K3Vu8FHavKgC&pg=PA77| archive-date=19 November 2015| url-status=live}} It would have comprised a bridge between Malmö and Saltholm, with a tunnel linking Saltholm to Copenhagen, and would have been accompanied by a second rail tunnel across the Øresund between Helsingør and Helsingborg.Defense Transportation Journal, Vol. 29, No. 6 (November/December, 1973), p. 7

However, that project was cancelled in 1978 due to the economic situation,{{cite book| editor1-last=Krokeborg| editor1-first=J| title=Strait crossings 2001: proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on Strait Crossings, Bergen, Norway, 2 - 5 September 2001| date=1 January 2001| publisher=CRC Press| location=Lisse| isbn=978-9026518454| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mGNcGfH33EoC&pg=PA657| access-date=18 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119153058/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mGNcGfH33EoC&pg=PA657| archive-date=19 November 2015| url-status=live}} and growing environmental concerns.{{cite journal|last1=Centre for Mega Projects in Transport and Development|title=Project Profile: Sweden, The Oresund Link|journal=Omega Case Studies|date=2014|url=http://www.omegacentre.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SWEDEN_ORESUND_PROFILE.pdf|access-date=16 January 2016|ref=omega|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131135458/http://www.omegacentre.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SWEDEN_ORESUND_PROFILE.pdf|archive-date=31 January 2016|url-status=live}} As the economic situation improved in the 1980s, interest resumed and the governments signed a new agreement in 1991.

During the planning of the Øresund Link, a choice was made between the Helsingborg-Helsingør and Malmö-Copenhagen (Limhamn-Amager) routes. However, a great advantage was seen in prioritizing the connection between the major central cities of Copenhagen and Malmö. Another factor against Helsingborg-Helsingør may have been the difficulty of resolving through traffic in the municipalities on the Danish side and the fact that, despite the proximity of the towns, the tunnel had to be long because of the location of the settlements and the depth of the strait, {{convert|41|m|abbr=on}}, which also posed geological difficulties. However, a Helsingborg-Helsingør tunnel is still included in the infrastructure planning.{{cite web| url=https://media.helsingborg.se/uploads/networks/4/sites/131/2023/03/hh-forbindelse_broschyr.pdf| title=Väg- och tågtunnel Helsingborg – Helsingör| publisher=HH-Gruppen|lang=sv| access-date=11 April 2025}}

The Danish and Swedish governments agreed on 23 March 1991 to build a combined road and rail link between Kastrup and Limhamn.{{cite web| url=https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/proposition/med-anledning-av-ett-avtal-mellan-sverige-och_ge03158/html/| title=Proposition 1990/91:158 med anledning av ett avtal mellan Sverige och Danmark om en fast förbindelse över Öresund| publisher=Sveriges Riksdag|lang=sv| access-date=13 March 2025}} The link would consist of an immersed tunnel from Kastrup to an artificial island southwest of Saltholm and then on as a bridge to Limhamn. Over the {{ill|Flintrännan|sv}} and Trindelrännan fairways, there would be main spans with a sail-free height of at least {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert|32|m|ft|abbr=on}} respectively. The clear width would be at least {{convert| 300|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert| 200|m|ft|abbr=on}} respectively. The parties agreed that the final design could be adjusted for environmental, technical and economic reasons. This was indeed the case. The artificial island, Peberholm, ended up just south of Saltholm and instead of two main spans, there was a larger main span over Flintrännan. The route of Flintrännan was shifted one kilometer to the east. The countries created their own companies, A/S Øresundsforbindelsen and Svensk-danska broförbindelsen AB, Svedab AB, and these became half-owners of the joint Øresundsbro Konsortiet.{{cite web| url=https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/about-oresundsbron/about-us/oresundsbro-konsortiet| title=Øresundsbro Konsortiet| publisher=Øresundsbron| access-date=13 March 2025}} The consortium was given responsibility for the construction and operation of the link.{{cite web| url=https://fof.se/artikel/1999/4/absolut-bro/| title=Absolut bro| publisher=Forskning & Framsteg|lang=sv| access-date=22 March 2025}}

Mainly in Denmark, but also in Sweden, there was interest during construction in adding a bicycle lane at a cost of SEK 210 million (estimated by DTU), but the Swedish department of the bridge company said no.{{cite web| url=https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/3825415| title=Öresundsbron inget för cyklister| publisher=Sveriges Radio| access-date=11 April 2025}}{{cite web| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-11/would-you-ride-a-bicycle-across-europe-s-2nd-longest-bridge| title=Would You Ride a Bicycle Across Europe's 2nd Longest Bridge?| publisher=Bloomberg| access-date=13 April 2025}}

The bridge was a recurring feature of Swedish political debate for decades. Many commentators opposed its construction on environmental grounds, as the consequence of the bridge was considered to be "that road transport will continue to increase rapidly", as Anders Wijkman, Secretary General of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, wrote in 1990. For the Center Party, opposition to the bridge was long a central issue. Party leader Olof Johansson resigned from Carl Bildt's government in protest against the bridge. Since the bridge was built, however, criticism has all but died down.{{cite web| url=https://nordics.info/show/artikel/a-short-history-of-the-oresund-bridge| title=A short history of the Oresund Bridge| publisher=nordics.info Aarhus University| access-date=13 April 2025}}

At the end of 1992, the Øresundsbro Konsortiet launched a competition for the design of the link.{{cite web| url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292753348| title=The Øresund bridge completion| access-date=14 March 2025}} Six entries were submitted, including one designed by Santiago Calatrava and another by Norman Foster, but two others were selected for further development and procurement. The ASO Group (formed by Arup Group), with Georg Rotne as architect, proposed that the bridge itself be made mainly of steel in two levels, with highway on top and train traffic below.{{cite web| url=https://www.arup.com/projects/oresund-link/| title=Designing the Øresund Bridge| publisher=Arup| access-date=14 March 2025}} ØLC (Øresund Link Consultants) instead placed highway and rail in the same plane on a concrete bridge. Both groups advocated an inclined cable-stayed bridge over the Flintrännan. The procurement of the entire Øresund Link was divided into different contracts, including one contract for the two access bridges and another for the main span. In November 1995, Sundlink Contractors (a consortium of Skanska, Hochtief, Højgaard & Schultz and Monberg & Thorsen) was able to sign a contract with the Øresundsbro Konsortiet to build both the access bridges and the main span in accordance with the ASO Group's proposal, at a cost of DKK 6.8 billion (including a viaduct at Peberholm).{{cite web| url=https://data.oresundsbron.com/cms/download/Crossing%20the%20%C3%98resund.pdf| title= Crossing the Øresund | publisher= Øresundsbron | access-date=16 April 2025}}{{cite web| url=https://group.skanska.com/sv/media/pressmeddelanden-och-artiklar/48320/Sundlink-Contractors#| title=Sundlink Contractors|lang=sv| publisher=Skanska| access-date=19 March 2025}} For the preparation of its tender, Sundlink had engaged the services of the engineering consultants COWI from Denmark and VBB from Sweden. They were now tasked with developing the proposals in detail and controlling the further work.

The owners had set high safety and environmental standards for the contractors. Among other things, the bridges had to:

• Withstand collisions from ships and aircraft as well as earthquakes (the piers had to withstand forces of 210 MN and the spans 35 MN)
• Withstand fast passenger trains ({{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}}) and heavy freight trains (max {{convert|120|km/h|abbr=on}}){{sfn|Øresundskonsortiet|1998}}
• Road traffic at {{convert|120|km/h|abbr=on}}
• Withstand high wind speeds (61 m/s)
• Have a lifespan of at least 100 years
• The flow of water through the Sound would not be affected

The bedrock under the Sound consists of Copenhagen limestone of very varied composition. Many borehole samples were therefore taken in the area before the detailed design of the bridge. Sundlink had great freedom to design details and processes within the owners' specifications. Changes were made on an ongoing basis, but only at a detailed level. A decisive factor was the availability of the world's largest hammerhead crane barge, the Svanen (the Swan). The crane was built in 1991 for the construction of the Great Belt Bridge and was subsequently used in the construction of the Confederation Bridge in Canada. With the detailed planning of the Øresund Bridge already underway, it became clear that the Svanen would be available earlier than expected, just in time for the Øresund Bridge spans to be put in place. The Svanen's large lifting capacity meant that the length of the spans could be increased from the planned {{convert|120|m|ft|abbr=on}} to {{convert|141|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Fewer piers were thus needed, which was favorable for the flow of water through the Sound.

Sundlink used many subcontractors from different countries with different languages and cultures. Since the countries could have different terminology and standards, it was decided to use the then rather untested European standards for structural design, the Eurocodes. Sundlink also set up its own facility at Norra hamnen (Northern port) in Malmö for concrete casting, assembly and logistics.{{cite web |last1= Jansson |first1= Anders H. |last2= Olofsson|first2=Ingvar H.|date= 1998|title= The Öresund Link: bridges for rail and road traffic|url= https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=bse-re-003%3A1998%3A79%3A%3A622 |website= e-periodica.ch|location= |publisher= ETH-Bibliothek Zürich|access-date=23 March 2025}}

An OMEGA centre report identified the following as primary motivations for construction of the bridge:

• to improve transport links in northern Europe, from Hamburg to Oslo;
• regional development around the Øresund as an answer to the intensifying globalisation process and Sweden's decision to apply for membership of the European Community;
• connecting the two largest cities of the region, which were both experiencing economic difficulties;
• improving communications to Copenhagen airport, the main flight transport hub in the region.

Sundlink Contractors (who also did the previous Great Belt Fixed Link) began construction of the bridge in 1995 and completed it 14 August 1999.{{cite web| url=https://www.hochtief.com/about-hochtief/history/east-bridge-over-the-great-belt| title=East Bridge over the Great Belt| publisher=Hochtief| access-date=19 March 2025}} Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden met midway across the bridge-tunnel on 14 August 1999 to celebrate its completion.{{cite news |url=http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/htm/baggrund/tema1999/%D8resundsbroen%20er%20f%E6rdig/ |title=Danmark og Sverige landfast |publisher=DR |language=da |access-date=20 November 2015 |trans-title=Denmark and Sweden by Land}} The official dedication took place on 1 July 2000, with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden as the hostess and host of the ceremony.{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/oeresundsbroen-indviet |title=Øresundsbroen indviet |agency=Ritzau |work=B.T. |language=da |date=1 July 2000 |access-date=20 November 2015 |trans-title=Oresund Bridge inaugurated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051009/http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/oeresundsbroen-indviet |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live }} Because of the death of nine people, including three Danes and three Swedes, at the Roskilde Festival the evening before, the ceremony opened with a minute of silence.{{cite news |url=http://www.b.dk/danmark/broaabning-i-tragediens-skygge |title=Broåbning i tragediens skygge |agency=Ritzau |work=Berlingske |language=da |date=1 July 2000 |access-date=20 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923231021/http://www.b.dk/danmark/broaabning-i-tragediens-skygge |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=live }} The bridge-tunnel opened for public traffic later that day. On 12 June 2000, two weeks before the dedication, 79,871 runners competed in Broloppet, a half marathon from Amager, Denmark, to Scania, Sweden.{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/90.000-loebere-over-oeresundsbroen |title=90.000 løbere over Øresundsbroen |agency=Ritzau |work=B.T. |language=da |date=12 June 2000 |access-date=26 March 2011 |trans-title=90,000 runners cross the Øresunds Bridge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322071320/http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/90.000-loebere-over-oeresundsbroen |archive-date=22 March 2012 |url-status=live }}

Despite two schedule setbacks – the discovery of 16 unexploded World War II bombs on the seafloor and an inadvertently skewed tunnel segment – the bridge-tunnel was finished three months ahead of schedule.

Although traffic between Denmark and Sweden increased by 61 percent in the first year after the bridge opened, traffic levels were not as high as expected, perhaps due to high tolls.{{cite web| first=Claus F.| last=Baunkjær| url=http://www.femern.com/service-menu/press--documents/press-releases/cautious-traffic-assumptions-for-the-fehmarnbelt-project| title=Cautious traffic assumptions for the Fehmarnbelt project| publisher=Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link| date=28 March 2013| access-date=20 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702184331/http://www.femern.com/service-menu/press--documents/press-releases/cautious-traffic-assumptions-for-the-fehmarnbelt-project| archive-date=2 July 2015| url-status=dead}} However, since 2005, traffic levels have increased rapidly. This may be due to Danes buying homes in Sweden to take advantage of lower housing prices in Malmö and commuting to work in Denmark. In 2012, to cross by car cost DKK 310, SEK 375 or €43, with discounts of up to 75% available to regular users. In 2007, almost 25 million people travelled over the Øresund Bridge: 15.2 million by car and bus and 9.6 million by train. By 2009, the figure had risen to 35.6 million by car, coach or train.{{cite web| url=http://uk.oresundsbron.com/page/34 |title=Øresundsbrons bokslut för 2008: Bättre resultat trots den ekonomiska avmattningen|language=sv|trans-title=Øresundsbrons financial statements for 2008: better results despite the economic slowdown|publisher=Uk.oresundsbron.com |access-date=24 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313040245/http://uk.oresundsbron.com/page/34|archive-date=13 March 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://dk.oresundsbron.com/page/1216 |title=Traffic numbers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019074049/http://dk.oresundsbron.com/page/1216|archive-date=19 October 2013}}, {{cite web|url=http://dk.oresundsbron.com/page/elements/trafficnumbers/excel.php?year=all|title=Øresundsbron traffic figures all years|access-date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191148/http://dk.oresundsbron.com/page/elements/trafficnumbers/excel.php?year=all|archive-date=2 January 2014}}

File:ORESUNDBRIDGE_WIDE.jpg

File:Oresund-over-2008.JPG on the island of Amager, to the left of the bridge is the Danish island of Saltholm, and in the background, the bridge connects to Malmö.]]

At {{convert|7.85|km|mi|abbr=on}}, the bridge covers half the distance between Sweden and the Danish island of Amager, the border between the two countries being {{convert|5.3|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} from the Swedish end. The structure has a mass of 82,000 tonnes and supports two railway tracks beneath four road lanes in a horizontal girder extending along the entire length of the bridge. On both approaches to the three cable-stayed bridge sections, the girder is supported every {{convert|140|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} by concrete piers. The two pairs of free-standing cable-supporting towers are {{convert|204|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} high allowing shipping {{convert|57|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} vertical clearance under the main span, but most ships' captains prefer to pass through the unobstructed Drogden Strait above the Øresund Tunnel. The cable-stayed main span is {{convert|491|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long. A girder and cable-stayed design was chosen to provide the specific rigidity necessary to carry heavy rail traffic, and also to resist large accumulations of ice.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

The bridge experiences occasional brief closures during very severe weather, such as the St. Jude storm of October 2013.{{cite news |url=http://www.jv.dk/artikel/1632666:Indland--Stormen-lukker-Oeresundsbroen |title=Stormen lukker Øresundsbroen |work=JydskeVestkysten |language=da |date=28 October 2013 |access-date=20 November 2015 |trans-title=Storm closes the Øresund Bridge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121044131/http://www.jv.dk/artikel/1632666:Indland--Stormen-lukker-Oeresundsbroen |archive-date=21 November 2015 |url-status=live }}

The access bridges are made up of 49 steel trusses resting on concrete piers. The steel spans have a length of {{convert|141|m|ft|abbr=on}} except at the bridge abutments, where they are shorter at {{convert|120|m|ft|abbr=on}}. They were manufactured by Dragados Offshore in Puerto Real near Cádiz, Spain, one of the few companies in Europe with sufficient capacity. Steel plates from British Steel were cut and welded together to form the various components of the truss spans, which were then joined together to form {{convert|120-141|m|ft|abbr=on}} long spans. These were fitted with a reinforced concrete roadway on the upper level and a concrete railway deck on the lower level. The finished sections were towed on barges to Sundlink's facility in Norra hamnen. Here, the spans were equipped with special concrete troughs for the railway tracks, footbridges along the tracks, etc. Stairs connect the road and railway levels every {{convert|700|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Three inspection gondolas are suspended under the bridge.{{sfn|Øresundskonsortiet|1998}}{{cite web |last= Andersson |first= Jenny |date= 26 February 2020|title= Den dolda vägen över Öresundsbron|url= https://www.newsoresund.se/den-dolda-vagen-over-oresundsbron/ |publisher=News Øresund|website= newsoresund.se |lang=sv|access-date=24 March 2025}}

The piers are individually designed, taking into account the calculated load and the bedrock level, resulting in the bridge gradually reaching the {{convert|57|m|ft|abbr=on}} vertical clearance of the main span. The pillars rest on concrete caissons fixed in the bedrock. The pylons of the main span, as well as three piers on either side of them, are surrounded by underwater reefs to reduce the risk of larger ships colliding with the bridge. Both caissons and pylons were manufactured in the Norra hamnen. The caissons, piers and truss spans were transported to their locations in the Sound by the Svanen crane barge. The bridge sections were welded together, but at regular intervals space was left for the thermal expansion of the steel.{{cite web |date= 2020|title= Öresundsbron, Malmö|url= https://www.skanska.se/vart-erbjudande/vara-projekt/57321/Oresundsbron%2C-Malmo|website= skanska.se |publisher=Skanska|lang=sv|access-date=25 March 2025}}

The main span over the Flintrännan fairway is the world's longest cable-stayed bridge for both road and rail traffic. The choice to build a cable-stayed bridge instead of a suspension bridge was based, among other things, on the fact that a suspension bridge could have become unstable if a high-speed train or a heavy freight train were to brake sharply on such a bridge. The bridge is suspended by steel cables attached to 203.5 meter high pylons. The distance between the pylons is {{convert|490|m|ft|abbr=on}} and the total length of the main span is {{convert|1,092|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The vertical clearance is {{convert|57|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

The upper level for vehicular traffic consists of a truss of steel beams supporting a concrete roadway. The lower level consists of a continuous railway deck, a sealed steel box. The two decks are held together by vertical trusses. Every thirty meters there are brackets, "outriggers", for suspension in the pylon cables. The steel span was built by {{ill|Karlskronavarvet|sv}} with the help of several Swedish and Norwegian subcontractors, including Kockums in Malmö, Norwegian Excon, SSAB in Oxelösund and Knislinge Mekaniska Verkstad. In the Norra hamnen of Malmö, the span was equipped with a concrete roadway, railroad tracks, etc. and could then be transported to the site by Svanen.{{cite book |last1=Hellbratt |first1=Sven-Erik|last2=Lindahl |first2= Bo|date= 2016|last3=Ottosson |first3=Jan|title=Öresundsbrons högbrodel |url= |location= |publisher=Varvshistoriska föreningen i Karlskrona|lang= sv|isbn= 978-91-639-2084-4|access-date=}}

The foundations of the pylons are hollow concrete caissons anchored in the limestone bedrock. They were manufactured in Kockums' dry dock in Malmö and towed to site. There they were filled with concrete and ballast. The pylons themselves were cast using equipment that climbed up the already completed sections. At a height of {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}, a concrete crossbeam {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on}} high and {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide was cast to connect each pair of pylons. Higher up, continuous steel elements were placed for the attachment of the stay cables.{{cite web |title= Bridge, pylons, and cable stays|url= https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/about-oresundsbron/about-us/facts-about-oresundsbron/bridge-pylons-and-cable-stays |publisher=Øresundsbron|website= oresundsbron.com |access-date=29 March 2025}} The pylons taper towards the top (cross-section at the bottom {{convert|9.4 x 12.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}, at the top {{convert|4.7 x 6.2|m|ft|abbr=on}}). The outer sides are completely vertical while those facing inwards are slightly inclined.{{sfn|Øresundskonsortiet|1998}}

Due to high longitudinal and transverse loads acting over the bridge and to accommodate movements between the superstructure and substructure, it has bearings weighing up to {{Cvt|20|t|lb}} each, capable of bearing vertical loads up to {{convert|96000|kN|abbr=on}} in a longitudinal direction and up to {{convert|40000|kN|abbr=on}} in transverse direction. The design, manufacturing and installation of the bearings were carried out by the Swiss civil engineering firm mageba.{{cite web |title= mageba – Project information - Øeresund Bridge (Sweden)|url= https://www.mageba-group.com/tr/data/docs/en_TR/2548/Refsheet-Oeresund-Bridge-ch-en.pdf?v=1.0 |publisher=mageba|website= oresundsbron.com |access-date=29 March 2025}}

Vibration issues, caused by several cables in the bridge moving under certain wind and temperature conditions, were combatted with the installation of compression spring dampers installed in pairs at the centre of the cables. Two of these dampers were equipped with laser gauges for ongoing monitoring. Testing, development and installation of these spring dampers was carried out by specialists Lesjöfors.{{cite web |title= The Öresund bridge|url= https://www.lesjoforsab.com/industries/case-studies/oeresund-bridge/|publisher=Lesjöfors|website= lesjoforsab.com/ |access-date=2 April 2025}}

File:Oresund Bridge Cross Section 2.jpg|Cross section of the main span

File:Öresundbrücke nach Kopenhagen Detail.jpg|Outriggers, double stay cables and pylons

File:Kabelfäste.jpg|Steel element in a pylon for cable anchorage

File:Anchor pier.jpg|Stay cable anchor pier

The bridge span between the pylons is {{convert|490|m|ft|abbr=on}} long. It is suspended by stay cables attached to the outriggers, two cables in each. The cables go to the cast-in steel elements in the pylons and the force is then transmitted through cables down to the outriggers of the outer bridge spans. The outer spans are anchored with pre-tensioned cables that run down through the piers.

{{Main|Peberholm}}

The western part of the bridge joins the Øresund Tunnel on Peberholm, an artificial island, just south of the island of Saltholm on the Danish side. The Danes chose the name Peberholm (Pepper Islet) to complement the natural island of Saltholm (Salt Islet). The island was built from dredged material from the bottom of the Sound and elsewhere. For instance, large stones from a rock construction site in Kungshamn, Bohuslän, came to line the island together with local Scanian stone from Dalby. Peberholm is approximately {{convert|4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} long with an average width of {{convert|500|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} and is {{convert|20|m|abbr=on}} high.

At Peberholm, the railroad turns off the highway and runs parallel to the highway down into the Øresund Tunnel. On the island there is a junction where trains can be switched between the two tracks. Exits connect the highway with roads dedicated to maintenance work on the island. In addition, there is a helipad on the island for emergencies, for example in the event of a serious road accident.

Peberholm is a nature reserve and public visits are generally not allowed outside the highway. The island has been allowed to develop its own nature without active human intervention. Several rare species have established themselves on the island.{{cite web| url=https://www.birds-of-denmark.dk/peberholm.htm| title=Birdlife on Peberholm| publisher=Birds of Denmark| access-date=10 March 2025}}{{cite web| url=https://news.cision.com/dk/oresundsbro-konsortiet/r/naturen-stortrives-ved-oresundsforbindelsen---koloni-af-skestorke-pa-peberholm,c3785866| title=Naturen stortrives ved Øresundsforbindelsen – koloni af skestorke på Peberholm| publisher= Øresundsbro Konsortiet / news.cision.com| access-date=10 March 2025 | lang=da}}

File:Oresund tunnel2.svg

The connection between Peberholm and the likewise artificial peninsula at Kastrup on Amager island, the nearest populated part of Denmark, descend under the Drogden fairway, through the {{convert|4.05|km|abbr=on}} Øresund Tunnel (Øresundstunnelen). The tunnel comes up on Amager at Copenhagen Airport. The main reason for continuing the link underwater, and not on a bridge, is that a bridge would pose a risk to air traffic to and from the airport.

It comprises a {{convert|3.51|km|abbr=on}} immersed tube plus {{convert|270|m|abbr=on}} entry tunnels at each end. At the descent into the tunnel, the railroad turns and runs right next to the highway. The tube tunnel is made from 20 prefabricated reinforced concrete segments – the largest in the world at 55,000 tonnes each – interconnected in a trench dug in the seabed. Two tubes in the tunnel carry railway tracks, two carry roads and a small fifth tube is provided for emergencies. The tubes are arranged side by side. For safety reasons, freight trains carrying dangerous goods cannot be in the same tunnel tube at the same time as other trains, which reduces capacity slightly.{{cite web| url=https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/about-oresundsbron/about-us/facts-about-oresundsbron/the-oresund-tunnel| title=The Øresund Tunnel| publisher=Øresundsbron| access-date=6 April 2025}}

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File:Oresund.ASTER.20040410.jpg

File:Øresund Bridge.jpg and Malmö]]

File:Öresundbrücke - Ansicht von Klagshamn.jpg]]

{{Main|Øresund Line}}

The rail link is operated jointly by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and the Danish railway infrastructure manager Banedanmark. Passenger train service is commissioned by Skånetrafiken and the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen) under the Øresundståg brand, with Transdev and DSB being the current operators.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oresundstag.se/en/about-us/|title=About Us|website=www.oresundstag.se|date=14 October 2021}} A series of new dual-voltage trains was developed, linking the Copenhagen area with Malmö and southern Sweden as far as Gothenburg and Kalmar. SJ operates X2000 trains over the bridge, with connections to Gothenburg and Stockholm. Copenhagen Airport at Kastrup has its own railway station close to the western bridgehead. Since December 2022, trains operate typically every 15 minutes during the day, reducing to once an hour during the night in both directions. Additional Øresundstrains are operated at rush hour. Freight trains also use the crossing.

The rail section is double track {{RailGauge|1435mm|allk=on}} and capable of speeds of up to {{convert|200|km/h|mph}}, but slower in Denmark, especially in the tunnel section. There were challenges related to the difference in electrification and signalling between the Danish and Swedish railway networks. The solution chosen is to switch the electrical system from Swedish 15 kV, 16.7 Hz to Danish 25 kV, 50 Hz before the eastern bridgehead at Lernacken in Sweden. The Swedish signaling system (ATC) is used with Swedish optical signals on the bridge and switches to Danish ATC on the western part of Peberholm, {{convert|7|km|abbr=on}} into Danish territory, which has been justified by the fact that the Swedish system allows higher speed ({{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}}) and costs less to install. There is no way of changing between a locomotive for Danish standard and one for Swedish standard. All rail vehicles using the bridge must be custom made for the standards of both countries.{{cite web| url=https://www.jarnvag.net/vagnguide/x31k| title= X31K/X32K/ET | publisher= järnväg.net |lang=sv| access-date=15 April 2025}}

Trains run on the left in Sweden, and on the right in Denmark. Initially the switch was made at Malmö Central Station, a terminus at that time. After the 2010 inauguration of the Malmö City Tunnel connection, a tunnel was built at Burlöv, north of Malmö, where the two southbound tracks cross over the northbound pair. The railway in Malmö thus uses the Danish standard.

The gradient of the bridge is 1.56%, which is clearly more than what is desired for freight trains, especially on a busy line such as the Øresund Line, where fewer but heavier freight trains are desirable. The Danish {{ill|Litra EG|da}} locomotives are 6-axle to cope with pulling heavy freight trains across Øresund and the Great Belt Bridge. Other locomotives, such as the BR185, can also haul freight trains, but the wagon weight is limited to 1800 tons.

Land connections link the Øresund Link to Danish and Swedish roads and railways. The highway connects to the Outer Ring Road in Malmö and the Øresundsmotorvejen (the Øresund Highway) in Copenhagen. The Øresund Line connects to Copenhagen Central Station on the Danish side and the Malmö City Tunnel and the Continental Line on the Swedish side.{{cite web| url=https://sundogbaelt.dk/forbindelser/oeresundsmotorvejen/| title=Udvidelse af Øresundsmotorvejen| publisher=Sund & Bælt|lang=da| access-date=20 April 2025}}

On the Danish side, the Copenhagen Airport railway station is situated right at Copenhagen Airport, just west of the Øresund Tunnel entrance. Next to it is the Lufthavnen station located. A station of the Copenhagen Metro. There are also connecting tracks to a maintenance workshop. A separate freight track allows freight trains to pass without going past the platforms. However, the crossing freight trains reduce capacity and further measures are required in the foreseeable future to increase the capacity of the railway around Copenhagen Airport.{{cite web| url=https://www.cph.dk/en/parking-transport/bus-train-metro-taxi/train| title=Train| publisher=Københavns Lufthavne A/S| access-date=20 April 2025}}

On the Swedish side, the Malmö City Tunnel was only completed at the end of 2010, more than a decade after the opening of the Øresund Link. Before that, all trains had to run on the Continental Line around Malmö. In Malmö, trains going further north had to turn around because the station was a terminus. The Malmö City Tunnel now allows trains to travel directly between the Øresund Link and Malmö Central Station through a tunnel under the city.{{cite web| url=https://www.trafikverket.se/resa-och-trafik/jarnvag/sveriges-jarnvagsnat/citytunneln/| title=Citytunneln| publisher=Trafikverket|lang=sv| access-date=20 April 2025}}

With both Sweden and Denmark being part of the Nordic Passport Union since the 1950s, border controls between the two countries have been abolished for decades and travellers can normally move freely across the Øresund Bridge. In 2001, both countries also joined the Schengen area, and since then the abolition of border controls is primarily regulated by European Union law, more specifically the Schengen acquis.

However, in November 2015, during the European migrant crisis, Sweden introduced temporary border controls at the border to Denmark in accordance with the provisions of the Schengen acquis on the reintroduction of temporary internal border controls. As such, travellers into Sweden from Denmark (but not travellers into Denmark from Sweden) must show a valid passport or national ID card (citizens of EU/EEA countries) or passport and entry visa (if required) for nationals of other non-EU/EEA countries. The move marked a break with 60 years of border control free travel between the Nordic countries.{{cite news|last1=Kirk|first1=Lisbeth|title=Domino effect: Denmark follows Sweden on EU border checks|url=https://euobserver.com/beyond-brussels/131702|access-date=7 January 2016|publisher=EUobserver|date=5 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125111827/https://euobserver.com/beyond-brussels/131702|archive-date=25 January 2016|url-status=live}} In January 2016, these border measures were extended by a special carriers' liability, forcing carriers (such as bus, train and ferry companies) to check the identity of all passengers from Denmark before they boarded a bus, train or ferry to Sweden. These checks were enforced by a fine of SEK 50,000 as punishment for serving those without such identity documents.{{cite news|title=Migrant crisis: Sweden border checks come into force|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35218921|access-date=4 January 2016|work=BBC News|date=4 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104043415/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35218921|archive-date=4 January 2016|url-status=live}} This led to the enforcement of checks by private security guards at, for instance, the rail station in Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, an unpopular move with passengers, due to the delays imposed.{{cite web |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20151207/sweden-border-checks-to-extend-into-denmark |title=Sweden border checks to extend into Denmark |website=thelocal.se |date=7 December 2015 }}

In May 2017, Sweden removed the carriers' liability, but the ordinary border controls carried out by the Swedish Police Authority remained on the Swedish side of the Øresund Bridge.{{Cite news|url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6687929|title=Sweden ends ID checks for travellers from Denmark - Radio Sweden|first=Sveriges|last=Radio|newspaper=Sveriges Radio|date=2 May 2017}} In accordance with the Schengen Borders Code, these border controls are only allowed for a period of six months at a time, and therefore have to be renewed twice a year.{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen/reintroduction-border-control_en|title=Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control|date=6 December 2016|website=Migration and Home Affairs - European Commission}}

File:Öresundsbrons vajrar 1.jpg

File:Öresundstunneln till Danmark.jpg

The cost for the Øresund Connection, including motorway and railway connections on land, was DKK 30.1 billion (~€4.0 billion) according to the 2000 year price index, with the cost of the bridge expected in 2003 to be recouped by 2037.{{cite book| title=OECD Territorial Reviews OECD Territorial Reviews: Oresund, Denmark/Sweden 2003 OECD Territorial Reviews Series| author=OECD| publisher=OECD Publishing| year=2003| isbn=978-92-64-10080-0| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K3Vu8FHavKgC&pg=PA38| page=38}}

In 2006, Sweden began work on the Malmö City Tunnel, a SEK 9.45 billion connection with the bridge that was completed in December 2010. The connection will be entirely user-financed. The owner company is owned half by the Danish state and half by the Swedish state. This owner company has taken loans guaranteed by the governments to finance the connection and the user fees are its only income. After the increase in traffic, these fees are enough to pay the interest and begin repaying the loans, which is expected to take about 30 years.

Taxpayers have paid for neither the bridge nor the tunnel, but tax money has been used for the land connections. On the Danish side, the land connection has domestic benefits, mainly to connect the airport to the railway network. The Malmö City Tunnel has the benefit of connecting the southern part of the inner city to the rail network and allowing many more trains to and from Malmö.

According to The Öresund Committee, the bridge has made a national economic gain of DKK 57 billion, or SEK 78 billion SEK (~€8.41 billion) on both sides of the strait by increased commuting and lower commuting expense.{{cite book| title=Ekonomiska vinster av Øresundsförbindelsen| url=http://www.oresundskomiteen.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Oi_Analyse_Vinster_av_Oresundsforbindelsen.pdf| publisher=Öresund Institute| date=November 2014| access-date=20 November 2015| language=sv| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061526/http://www.oresundskomiteen.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Oi_Analyse_Vinster_av_Oresundsforbindelsen.pdf| archive-date=24 September 2015| url-status=live}} The gain is estimated to be SEK 6.5 billion per year but this could be increased to 7.7 billion by removing the three biggest obstacles to integration and mobility, the two largest being that non-EU nationals in Sweden are not allowed to work in Denmark and that many professional qualifications and merits are not mutually recognised.{{cite news| url=https://www.dn.se/ekonomi/oresundsbron-ger-mangmiljardvinster/| title=Öresundsbron ger mångmiljardvinster| work=Dagens Nyheter| location=Stockholm| date=31 August 2014| trans-title=Oresund Bridge provides multi-billion profits| access-date=20 November 2015| first=Thomas| last=Hamberg| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924082409/http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/oresundsbron-ger-mangmiljardvinster/| archive-date=24 September 2015| url-status=live}}

A 2021 study found that the bridge led to an increase in innovation in Malmö. The key mechanism appears to be that high-skilled workers were drawn to Malmö.{{Cite journal|last1=Ejermo|first1=Olof|last2=Hussinger|first2=Katrin|last3=Kalash|first3=Basheer|last4=Schubert|first4=Torben|date=2021|title=Innovation in Malmö after the Öresund Bridge|journal=Journal of Regional Science|volume=62|pages=5–20|language=en|doi=10.1111/jors.12543|issn=1467-9787|doi-access=free}} A 2022 study found that the bridge caused an increase of 13.5% in the average wage of workers in the region, as the bridge expanded the size of the labor market.{{Cite journal |last1=Bütikofer |first1=Aline |last2=Løken |first2=Katrine V. |last3=Willén |first3=Alexander |date=2022-11-03 |title=Building Bridges and Widening Gaps |url=https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_01183 |journal=Review of Economics & Statistics|volume=106 |issue=3 |pages=681–697 |doi=10.1162/rest_a_01183 |s2cid=228161315 |issn=0034-6535}}

• The bridge lends its name to the Nordic noir television series The Bridge, which is set in the region around the bridge.{{cite web | last=| first=| title=Mord på Öresundsbron i ny tv-serie | website=SvD.se | date=2011-09-16 | url=https://www.svd.se/a/356735dc-16f3-34f3-93fc-8741ddb68d15/mord-pa-oresundsbron-i-ny-tv-serie | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531115324/https://www.svd.se/a/356735dc-16f3-34f3-93fc-8741ddb68d15/mord-pa-oresundsbron-i-ny-tv-serie | archive-date=2024-05-31 | url-status=live | language=sv | access-date=2024-05-31}}
• When Malmö hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, the bridge was the inspiration for a similar element in the set design, symbolising the connection between Sweden and the rest of Europe.
• The bridge was the inspiration behind the 2014 song "Walk Me to the Bridge" by Manic Street Preachers from their album Futurology.{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15217-nicky-wire-manic-street-preachers-interview|title=The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Bleeding Edge: Nicky Wire on Futures, Futurism and Futurology|website=The Quietus}}

The underwater parts of the bridge have become covered in marine organisms and act as an artificial reef.{{cite web | last=| first=| title=Trots farhågorna – här frodas undervattenslivet vid vindkraftverken i Öresund | website=SVT Nyheter | date=2023-05-21 | url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/skane/undervattenslivet-frodas-vid-vindkraftsverken | language=sv | access-date=2024-05-31| quote=När Öresundsbron skulle byggas oroades många över att bropelarna skulle störa det marina livet. Så blev det inte – tvärtom. Nu ser dykarna samma utveckling när det gäller den havsbaserade vindkraften. Vi har sett massor av liv och kan likställa det med ett konstgjort rev, säger Erik Skog, ordförande i föreningen.}}{{cite web | title=Öresundsbron, Malmö | website=Skanska | date=2024-05-31 | url=https://www.skanska.se/vart-erbjudande/vara-projekt/57321/Oresundsbron,-Malmo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531114820/https://www.skanska.se/vart-erbjudande/vara-projekt/57321/Oresundsbron,-Malmo | archive-date=2024-05-31 | url-status=live | language=sv | access-date=2024-05-31| quote=Men Öresundsbron har visat sig vara bra för miljön. Bropelarna suger åt sig organismer som annars hade haft svårt att hitta någon annanstans att leva. På bropelarna lever exempelvis upp till 140 000 musslor per kvadratmeter. Musslor som i sin tur blir föda åt exempelvis torsken.}}

{{Portal|Denmark|Sweden|Transport|Engineering}}

• Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link
• HH Tunnel, a proposed second Øresund fixed link connecting Helsingør and Helsingborg
• List of bridge–tunnels
• List of road-rail bridges
• List of international bridges
• Old Little Belt Bridge (opened 1935) and New Little Belt Bridge (opened 1970)
• Øresund Region
• Øresundsmetro
• Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge – connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai
• Johor–Singapore Causeway – between Malaysia and Singapore
• Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. Massive {{convert|10.83|km|mi}} long Expressway to connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai.

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite book |author=Øresundskonsortiet |year=1998 |title=Den faste forbindelse over Øresund : design og konstruktion |isbn=91-630-7628-4 |location=København |oclc=873709859 |language=da}}

{{Commons|Øresund bridge}}

{{external media |float=right | video1 =[http://www.femern.dk/servicemenu/presse--dokumenter/vores-videoer/miljoet-i-oresund-under-og-efter-anlagsfasen.flv Marine environment]}}

• [https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/ Official English website]
• {{Structurae|id=20000333|title=Øresund Bridge}}
• {{Structurae|id=20004167|title=Øresund Tunnel}}
• {{Structurae|id=10000007|title=Øresund Link}}
• [http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/oresund/ Øresund bridge project information] from Road Traffic Technology
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7UEDIxyrd4 Impossible Bridges: Denmark to Sweden] (MegaStructures documentary, 2006)
• Video on [http://video.arup.com/?v=1_hfvr80st Arup's website] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwxwdU4R05Q&list=PLCWGoFmkxMjrbp9krcliZ69psnTndzf7u&index=4- on Youtube] showing Arup Legends: Jorgen Nissen
• [https://www.oresundsbron.com/en/webcam Live WebCam]

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{{S-bef|before=Great Belt Fixed Link West Bridge}}

{{S-ttl|title=Europe's longest railway bridge|years=2000 – 2019}}

{{S-aft|after=Crimean Bridge}}

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{{Malmö}}

{{Copenhagen}}

{{Bridge–tunnels}}

{{Trans-European Transport Networks}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oresund Bridge}}

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