Norway considers wooden bridge across Lake Mjosa

Norway could be home to the world’s longest wooden bridge if the government gives the go-ahead for a span across Lake Mjosa. In a new report, researchers conclude that it is possible, both technically and economically, to build a 1.7km wooden bridge between the towns Biri and Moelv. Importantly, the report notes that construction cost differences between a wooden and concrete structure would be little. Estimates for a wooden bridge are around €420 million while for a concrete structure would come in about €
May 12, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Norway could be home to the world’s longest wooden bridge if the government gives the go-ahead for a span across Lake Mjosa.


In a new report, researchers conclude that it is possible, both technically and economically, to build a 1.7km wooden bridge between the towns Biri and Moelv. Importantly, the report notes that construction cost differences between a wooden and concrete structure would be little.

Estimates for a wooden bridge are around €420 million while for a concrete structure would come in about €410 million, according to Trond Arne Stensby, project manager at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration - 1208 Statens vegvesen.

The 468m-deep Lake Mjøsa is one of the deepest in Europe and the fourth-deepest lake in Norway. It stretches for 117km and is about 15km at its widest. The lake is 123m above sea level and lies about 100km north of the capital Oslo.

One bridge already crosses the lake, the Mjøsa Bridge that was opened 1985 and is part of the main north-south highway in Norway, the E6. The concrete box girder bridge has spans of around 69m and rests on piles in water up to 40m deep. The bridge has two lanes of traffic and separate pedestrian and cycling lane.

Previous studies have considered a four-lane link on Highway E6 between the cities of Hamar and Lillehammer – site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. Timber construction alternatives include a truss structure with two underlying trusses composite with a concrete bridge deck. Typical span width is 69m and be cable stay supported.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Peri has Polish bridge covered
    February 6, 2012
    A new bridge is being constructed across the Vistula River near Grudzi?dz, Poland, and for the foreland bridge from south-east direction, a so-called incremental launching method is being used. Two lanes, each some 556m long, are being constructed in 25 concreting cycles with standard lengths of 24m, while the formwork is 25m long and is positioned behind the bridge abutments.
    Read More
  • Itinera wins Sweden’s Skurusunds Bridge near Stockholm
    January 21, 2019
    Italian contractor Itinera will build the new 99m-long and 31m-wide Skurusunds Bridge near Stockholm in Sweden. Trafikverket, the Swedish transport administration, awarded the €75 million contract to Itinera, part of Gruppo Gavio. The new bridge will be parallel to the existing bridge which will remain. It handles around 52,000 vehicles daily, many of them commuting to and from Stockholm. Work will include improvements to traffic junctions at Skuru and Björknäs. The four-lane steel bridge will have
    Read More
  • Increasing importance of alternate truck routes
    February 14, 2012
    The fabled Silk Route from China to Europe takes many forms, and is again becoming increasingly important as Patrick Smithreports The ancient Silk Road was never a single caravan route, but covered hundreds of kilometres in width extending in length for around 10,000km. This is the view of the European International Road Transport Union (IRU), and many other countries and organisations, who point out that it is a system of routes covering many countries via a series of branch roads that dates back some 2
    Read More
  • Brine spraying can boost winter road safety and cut materials costs
    February 16, 2015
    A study on the use of a brine sprayer on the A8 Autobahn in Germany has yielded valuable data - *Jo Rommeswinkel writes. Since 2007, Autobahnplus Services (a+S) has been providing the operation and maintenance services on the 52km concession Autobahn A8 between Munich and Augsburg in Bavaria, a region renowned for its severe winter maintenance conditions. The Munich Augsburg section comprises 48km of six-lane dual carriageway and 4km of four-lane dual carriageway. Part of the road surface consists of low-no
    Read More

Highlighted Content