Fehmarn Sound Bridge



The Fehmarn Sound Bridge (Fehmarnsundbrücke) connects the German island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea with the German mainland near Großenbrode.

Description
The 963 m crossing includes the 248 m network arch bridge which carries road and rail over the 1300 m Fehmarn Sound. Construction began in 1958 and the bridge was opened on April 30, 1963. The main span is 22 m above the sea, which allows shipping to pass through. The bridge is constructed of steel and is 21 m wide; 6 m are used by Deutsche Bahn for a single rail track, part of the Lübeck–Puttgarden railway, the rest for a pedestrian walkway and two-lane roadway. The two steel arches, from which the central span is suspended by cables, are braced with steel cross-beams. The arches are 248 m in length and reach 45 m above the main deck of the bridge. The bridge was designed by engineers G. Fischer, T. Jahnke and P. Stein from the firm Gutehoffnungshütte Sterkrade AG, Oberhausen-Sterkrade. Architect Gerd Lohmer helped with the architectural design. In 2023 there is a renovation of the bridge. For example, all steel wires are replaced.

Route and ferry changes
At the same time as the opening of the bridge, changes were made to ferry services. The previous ferry service to the island of Fehmarn was discontinued. The service from Großenbrode Quay, Germany to Gedser, Denmark, crossing both Fehmarn Sound and the Fehmarn Belt, was replaced with a new service from Puttgarden (on Fehmarn) to Rødby, Denmark crossing just the Fehmarn Belt. The new bridge and ferry changes brought about a substantial time saving for both road and rail traffic along the so-called Vogelfluglinie (literally "bird flight line") from Hamburg to Copenhagen.

Historic monument
The Fehmarn Sound bridge was declared a historic monument in 1999 by the State Office for Protection of Historical Monuments of Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, and has since become a symbol of both Fehmarn and Schleswig-Holstein.

Cold War explosive charges
As the bridge was built during the Cold War, six explosive vaults were embedded below the approach road on the mainland side to be used in case of invasion. Their location is given away even today by six square asphalt patches. The vaults were connected to a control point about 1 km away in Heinrichsruh.

Future
A Fehmarn Belt Tunnel is under construction between Denmark and Germany, with four lanes (2+2) and double track railway. But according to the agreement between the two countries, the Fehmarn Sound bridge can remain as it is, one lane per direction and a single railway track.

In December 2012 a study was published saying that the bridge could not cope with the increased railway and road traffic expected after the tunnel opening.

In 2020 it was decided to build a four lane, double track railway Fehmarn Sound Tunnel to carry most of the increased traffic. However, the bridge will still remain in place for pedestrians and local road traffic.