Centralbron is one of the major traffic routes in central Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, connecting the northern district Norrmalm to the southern Södermalm

Södermalm

Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...

.

It is 1,200 metres long and consists of two viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

s passing over Söderström ("Southern Stream") and Riddarfjärden

Riddarfjärden

Riddarfjärden, literally the Knight Firth, is a bay of Lake Mälaren in central Stockholm. Stockholm was founded in 1252 on an island in the stream where Lake Mälaren drains into the Baltic Sea . The island is today called Stadsholmen and constitutes Stockholm's Old Town...

 close to Norrström

Norrström

Norrström in central Stockholm connects Lake Mälaren with the Baltic Sea. It runs from Riddarfjärden, north of Gamla stan, to Saltsjön. Two islands lie within it, Strömsborg and Helgeandsholmen. It is one of two natural waterways between Mälaren and the Baltic sea, the other being Söderström south...

 ("Northern Stream") with an interjacent elevated section traversing Riddarholmskanalen and the adjacent eastern waterfront of Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century...

. Centralbron has a capacity for 130,000 cars per day. It is paralleled by the bridges (Södra and Norra järnvägsbron) and the tunnel of a two-track railway used by the commuter and freight train

Freight train

A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...

s. Centralbron does partly go on top of the Metro

Stockholm Metro

The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...

 which opened on this stretch 1957 and planned together with the bridge.

Over the years, Centralbron together with a suggested additional railway track have been much criticized and debated because of their unwieldy and rumbling presence in a delicate historical setting. Lately, the construction of a tunnel to replace them has been suggested. The cost of such a tunnel, several billion kronor, has put this on hold without any time set. A new metro tunnel has also been suggested because the metro goes below and parallel to Centralbron, making it a total of seven rail tracks and six road lanes crossing the water south of Gamla Stan on bridges. A new railway tunnel costing 15 billion kronor (Citybanan

Citybanan

The Stockholm City Line is a railway tunnel under construction beneath central Stockholm in Sweden which will be used by the Stockholm Commuter Rail. The line will be long, double track and electrified. It will have two stations: Stockholm City Station will be located directly below T-Centralen,...

) is being built, but it is needed for capacity, and the existing railway will be kept.

Nearby bridges include Riddarholmsbron

Riddarholmsbron

Riddarholmsbron is a bridge in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, leading from the square Riddarhustorget on Stadsholmen to the smaller neighbouring island Riddarholmen.- Wooden bridges :...

, Vasabron

Vasabron

Vasabron is a bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm, Sweden connecting Norrmalm to Gamla stan, the old city....

, Strömsborgsbron

Strömsborgsbron

Strömsborgsbron is a bridge in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It connects the islet Strömsborg to the bridge Vasabron.The present bridge is from 1992-1993.- See also :* List of bridges in Stockholm...

, and Hebbes Bro

Hebbes Bro

Hebbes Bro is a pedestrian bridge in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting the two islands Riddarholmen and Stadsholmen....

.

Background

Since the first decade of the 20th century, numerous proposals labelled "Centralbron" had been produced and more than 20 of them scrapped before the elaboration of the general plan of 1928. During the 1930s the need for a "central bridge" crossing Gamla stan

Gamla stan

Gamla stan , until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna , is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan...

, the old city, declined due to the realization of the plans for a western traffic route, Västerbron

Västerbron

Västerbron is an arch bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. With a total length exceeding 600 m, 340 m of which stretches over water, it is one of the major bridges in Stockholm, offering one of the most panoramic views of the central part of the city centering on Gamla stan, the old town...

, and the clover-shaped traffic junction at Slussen

Slussen

Slussen is an area of central Stockholm, connecting Södermalm and Gamla stan. The area is named after the locks between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The locks themselves allow passage between these two bodies of water...

, both finally inaugurated in 1935.
In 1930 plans for a Centralbron was therefore substituted by a temporary solution, by its customers dubbed Slingerbultsleden ("The Dodge Route"), criss-crossing the western streets of Gamla stan using two temporary bridges crossing Riddarholmskanalen to open out on Vasabron

Vasabron

Vasabron is a bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm, Sweden connecting Norrmalm to Gamla stan, the old city....

. While the metro system

Stockholm Metro

The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...

 and Centralbron were being constructed Slingerbultsleden had to be scrapped, and in 1953 it was substituted by a 240 metres long pontoon bridge

Pontoon bridge

A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...

 connecting the northern end of the now non-existent Riddarholmskajen ("Quay of Riddarholmen") to Klara strand. Its 7 metres wide roadway had a maximum capacity of 20,000 cars per day and remained in use until the completion of the northern bridge in 1967.

The southern bridge

WW2 further delayed any attempts to elaborate a permanent solution, but in 1947 a decision to build a southern bridge crossing Söderström was taken, and work finally begun in 1950. The 189 metres long and 21,3 metres wide bridge stretches over six spans with a maximum span of 33,7 metres. The continuous steel girders of the roadway are resting on concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 pillars firmly anchored to the soil by numerous poles.
To the south, another two spans are stretching some 46 metres over Söder Mälarstrand ("Southern Shore of Lake Mälaren") before three smaller spans hands the roadway over to Söderledstunneln

Söderledstunneln

The Söderledstunneln is a tunnel between the Central Bridge and the Johanneshov Bridge on the island of Södermalm in Stockholm. It is 1,550 metres long and traverses the island from north to south.Building started on 9 October 1984...

 ("The Southern Route Tunnel"). To the north, the bridge is continuous with a 173 metres long viaduct passing over the Gamla stan metro station

Gamla stan metro station

Gamla stan metro station is a station of the Stockholm Metro, located in the district of Gamla stan. The station was opened in 1957 and is served by the red and green lines.-External links:*...

, opened 1957. The viaduct is made of a concrete roadway resting on steel girders.
The entire structure was completed and inaugurated June 16, 1959 and the name 'Centralbron' made official by a naming committee that assumed a Österbron ("The Eastern Bridge") would be built, thus making Centralbron a truly 'central' bridge.

An eastern route is not a timely topic, for several reasons but particularly because of the national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 Ekoparken

Ekoparken

The Royal National City Park is the world's first National City Park, established in 1995 in the municipalities of Stockholm, Solna and Lidingö in Sweden.1/ km²2/ Population per km²- Pictures :Some places in "The Eco Park"....

 ("The Eco Park") taking up most of the area east of the city, thus making such a route infeasible. There is however a Västerbron

Västerbron

Västerbron is an arch bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. With a total length exceeding 600 m, 340 m of which stretches over water, it is one of the major bridges in Stockholm, offering one of the most panoramic views of the central part of the city centering on Gamla stan, the old town...

.

The northern bridge

The realization of the northern bridge stretching over Norrström had to be postponed until the enlargement of the traffic junction at Tegelbacken was resolved in 1961. The bridge, finally inaugurated September 3, 1967, is a 246 metres long and 22,3 metres wide reinforced concrete structure with an average span of 19 meters. To the north, it makes a sharp turn to the west where it extends over the railway, and connects to Klarastrandsleden. The bridge over the railway replaced a level crossing nicknamed Tegelbackseländet ("The Tegelbacken misery"), since it created long traffic jams as an effect of the 1960s traffic increase.

See also

• List of bridges in Stockholm
• History of Stockholm
  History of Stockholm
  The history of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, for many centuries coincided with the development of what is today known as Gamla stan, the Stockholm Old Town...