Subproject: Fjord Crossings – technology development for extreme fiord crossings
New bridge technology needs to be developed for crossing the extreme fjords along the western coast.
The world’s longest bridges literally fall short when it comes to crossing a fiord that is more than 2km wide. The Fiord Crossings subproject is involved in most aspects of an extreme fiord crossing, from the collection of environmental data such as wind, waves, and current, to the improvement of analytical models for the dynamic construction of extreme bridge structures.
Studies related to the E39 Coastal Highway Route
The Fiord Crossings subproject started as early as in 2009 with a mission to investigate whether it would be possible to cross Bjørnafjorden without ferry. After the NPRA was asked to carry out a feasibility and impact study of the E39 Coastal Highway Route, the project was extended to include all fiords along the E39 that are still being crossed by ferry. This work was completed when the subproject was able to conclude, based on the feasibility study for the crossing of Sognefjorden, that it was indeed possible to cross the eight fiords along the E39 with fixed connections; even Sognefjorden, which had previously been claimed to remain uncrossable “for the indefinite future”“. The efforts of the Fiord Crossings subproject have in this connection been quite essential in the work on the Concept Studies (KVUs) for the subsections of the E39 Coastal Highway Route.
Following the study phase, the E39 project entered a more executive phase, and as concept selections were made based on the various Concept Studies, further work on the fiords was initiated. This work involves collecting basic data such as measurements of wind, waves and current; soil exploration at several hundred metres depth; and surveying ship traffic on the fiord. In addition, bridge concepts for extreme suspension bridges, floating bridges and tube bridges (submerged floating tunnels) are being further developed for the crossing of the remaining fiords along the E39 route. The Fiord Crossings subproject has a central and important role in coordinating and linking the work done on the different fiords.
Contact
Subproject Manager is Mathias Egeland Eidem