The Fehmarn Belt bridge (green) and the alternative Gedser-Rostock bridge (orange) in the Danish-German motorway system

The Fehmarn Belt bridge (Danish: Femern Bælt-forbindelsen, German: Fehmarnbelt-Querung) is a project to connect the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland with a bridge crossing the 18-kilometre (11 mi) wide Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea. Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Fehmarn ( Danish: Femern or Femer) is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Lolland (formerly spelled Lohland) is the fourth largest Island of Denmark, with an area of some 1243 Square kilometers (480 sq The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Fehmarn Belt ( Danish: Femern Bælt, formerly also spelled Femer Bælt) is a Strait connecting the Bay of Kiel and the Bay The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. It is expected to be completed 2018. ^[1]

Characteristics

The bridge will have a total length of approximately 19 km (12 mi) and will be constructed as a triple-span cable-stayed bridge with each of the three spans being 724 metres (2,375 ft) long. A The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The four pillars carrying the bridge will be approximately 280 m (919 ft) tall. The vertical clearance will be 65 m (213 ft) allowing sea traffic to and from the Baltic Sea to go beneath it.

The design has tentatively been decided to be a triple-span cable-stayed bridge, with four road lanes and two rail tracks. A The latest cost estimate is DKK 42 bn (EUR 5 bn) for the bridge including EUR 1. 5 bn for the land connections, mainly electrifying and rebuilding 160 km (99 mi) of railway from single to double track. This will include a new Fehmarn Sound bridge (1 km) and a new Storstrøm Bridge (above 3 km/about 2 miles). The Fehmarn Sound bridge connects the German Island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea with the German mainland near Großenbrode. Storstrøm Bridge ( Danish, Storstrømsbroen) is a road and railway Arch bridge that crosses Storstrømmen between the islands of

The bridge will shorten the rail journey from Hamburg to Copenhagen from 4¾ to 3½ hours.

The project is comparable to the Øresund Bridge, the Great Belt Bridge or plans for the Strait of Messina Bridge and will be the largest planned infrastructure project in Northern Europe. The Oresund Bridge ( Danish Øresundsbroen, Swedish Öresundsbron, joint hybrid name Øresundsbron) is a combined two-track rail The Great Belt Fixed Link (Storebæltsforbindelsen is the Fixed link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen across the Great Belt The Strait of Messina Bridge is a planned Suspension bridge that would cross the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of Water between the eastern tip Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland The route is the main connection between Hamburg, (Hamburg Metropolitan Region), and Copenhagen/Malmö, (Øresund Region); (in German: Vogelfluglinie, in Danish: fugleflugtslinjen). Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Metropolregion Hamburg ( German for " Hamburg Metropolitan Region " is the compilation of 8 districts in the German Federal State of Lower Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city The Oresund Region (Øresundsregionen Swedish: Öresundsregionen) is a transnational region in southern Scandinavia The Vogelfluglinie (German or Fugleflugtslinien (Danish is a Transport corridor between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Hamburg, Germany

Project history

On 29 June 2007, an agreement was reached in Berlin between the Danish and German authorities (represented by their transport ministers) to proceed with the construction of the bridge^[2]. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Details provided by Danmarks Radio state that the Fehmarn Belt bridge will run 19 km (12 mi) from a point about 2 km (1 mi) west of Rødby in Denmark to Puttgarden on the island of Fehmarn which is already connected by bridge to the German mainland. DR (formerly Danmarks Radio) is Denmark 's national Broadcasting corporation Rødby is a town and a former municipality ( Danish, kommune) on the island of Lolland in Denmark. Puttgarden is a ferry harbour on the German island of Fehmarn. Construction will start in 2011 and is expected to be completed in 2018.

The bridge will be financed by state-guaranteed loans, which will be paid by the road and train fees. Denmark will be solely responsible for guaranteeing the funding of the project at an estimated cost of DKK 35 billion or EUR 4. The krone ( sign: kr; code: DKK) is the Currency of Denmark, including the autonomous provinces of Greenland Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e 7 billion ^[3]. German participation will be limited to the development of the land-based facilities on the German side^[4]. Denmark will own the bridge outright, will be allowed to keep the fees after the loans have been paid, and will enjoy any employment opportunities at the toll station. The agreement reached between the transport ministers will need to be ratified by the national parliaments leading to a bilateral treaty but no difficulties are expected.

Criticism

There have been objections from local people in Germany, both those fearing loss of jobs in connection with today’s intensive ferry traffic and environmental protectionists who believe wildlife will suffer from the project^[5]. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

A Gedser-Rostock bridge, about 50 km (31 mi)further east, has been proposed as an alternative to the Fehmarn Belt bridge. The Gedser-Rostock bridge is a proposed project to link the Danish island of Falster with the German city of Rostock, stretching 40-45 kilometres Proponents argue it would be better situated as a link from Scandinavia to Berlin, Poland and Eastern Europe. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent.

References

External links

• Official website
• (Danish) Femern Bælt, Danish traffic ministry
• (Danish) Pictures, Danish traffic ministry