The swing bridge

Norconsult had the concept development, preliminary design, tender documentation, and detailed design for the Swing Bridge. The steel truss bridge is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge located next to the Skansen railway bridge in Trondheim, the protected bascule bridge that carries the railway over the Skansenløpet. The bridge connects the pedestrian and bicycle path along the northern bypass road on Brattøra and Ila. The bridge allows boats to pass through the Skansenløpet approximately 1500 times per year.

Assignment

The project was part of the pedestrian and bicycle connection between Brattøra and Skansen. The design of a sea park was also included in the project.

Solution

The process leading up to the completion of the bridge has been a fruitful collaboration between the client, architect, and Norconsult throughout all phases of the project, with site adaptation, aesthetics, material usage, and short construction time being central themes. The bridge structure consists of three parts, with a spatial steel truss. The two outer parts are fixed, while the middle part rotates horizontally around a pivot point. The rotation mechanism is driven by multiple hydraulically controlled motors. With this solution, the bridge is the only one of its kind in Norway and the first swing bridge built in 63 years. This was a highly technically advanced project, with an adjacent historic railway bridge that imposed aesthetic requirements on the design, and an underlying underwater tunnel, Skansenløpet, that needed to be considered. The bridge was opened on October 9, 2014. The navigable passage under the bridge has a width of 20 meters. The foundation for the rotating part is a concrete foundation that also contains a technical room. The foundation stands on eight steel pipe piles. The project's architect was Pir II Arkitekter.

  • Eirik Wie Furunes

    Team leader long span bridges

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