Plans for world’s longest floating bridge

Should building work proceed, the bridge will be 6.7km in length and will more than double the record for the world’s longest floating bridge, which currently stands at 5.3 km.

A report compiled by Ramboll shows that construction of the floating bridge between Trondheim and Fosen in central Norway is possible. If the bridge is constructed it will not only break the record for floating bridges in the world but also benefit the region.

“A bridge between Trondheim and Fosen will have a large, positive impact on businesses and communities on both sides of the fjord, said Ramboll’s project manager, Neil Alperstein. “The bridge will afford Trondheim the opportunity to expand into the climatically more favourable side of the fjord and will facilitate growth in the rest of Fosen.”

The plan is to create compact, dynamic, sustainable communities with a total population of between 15,000 and 20,000 on the north side of the bridge. A new military airport in nearby Orland will also benefit from a new transport solution. A bridge over Trondheim fjord would also substantially reduce journey times by car and bus, providing practical and environmental benefits.

“The plan is to build a cable-stayed bridge with one or two main supports and a main span of 700m, Terje Norddal, a senior adviser at Ramboll told Maritime Journal. “One bridge support would be placed on the Flakkgalten reef, approximately 350m from the shore, and the other on an underwater ridge, about 700m further out in the fjord. Good foundation conditions will be created by placing both bridge supports on the rock.”

The cable-stayed section of the bridge could be 1.4km long. There are currently 11 such bridges in the world with longer main spans, but no existing floating bridges are longer than approximately 2.4km. Ramboll estimates that the initiative will cost €1.5bn.