Omsund Bridge
Encyclopedia
Omsund Bridge is a bridge
that crosses the Omsundet between the islands of Frei
and Nordlandet
, in the municipality of Kristiansund
in Møre og Romsdal
county, Norway
. It is actually made up of two bridges, since the main bridge does not span the entire strait
. The main bridge crosses form Nordlandet to the islet
of Rensvikholmen and then a smaller bridge completes the crossing to Frei.
Prior to the merger of the municipalities of Kristiansund and Frei on 1 January 2008, the bridges marked the border between the two municipalities. The original bridge was in use from 1940 until 1981. The second bridge is currently in use, and a third bridge is now in the planning stages. The bridge lies just south of the Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
.
because of World War II
. Local young men just tore down the barricades in the middle of the night. On 22 April 1940, German bomber
s tried to destroy the new bridge, but missed and managed only to kill 15 year old Ingolf Vatten on a bike several hundred meters away on Frei, and set the forest
on fire on Nordlandet. In May, the new bridge was crucial during the emergency evacuation
of the burning of Kristiansund.
This bridge to Frei
made it possible to shorten the ferry
trip between Kristiansund and Gjemnes
on the main land by 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), when a new road crossing Frei was completed in the 1940s. The ferry was finally replaced with an undersea tunnel
in 1992 as part of the Kristiansund Mainland Connection.
The old bridge was replaced in 1981, but it finally opened "officially" in a ceremony on 24 April 2005, 65 years late, and 24 years after it was replaced. It was then made accessible again for pedestrians and cyclists, and protected as an important sample of Norwegian bridges built in the 1930s.
cantilever bridge
, with two lanes and a fenced walkway
for pedestrians and cyclists. It was built right along side of the old, narrow bridge in 1981. The bridge carries the highway .
The bridge was hit by a large shrimp
trawler in the New Year's Day Storm
of 1992.
to Kristiansund.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
that crosses the Omsundet between the islands of Frei
Frei
Frei is a village, island, and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansund between the Kvernesfjord and Freifjord...
and Nordlandet
Nordlandet
Nordlandet is an island in the municipality of Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is located just east of the city center of Kristiansund, and is one of the boroughs of the city...
, in the municipality of Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
in Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is actually made up of two bridges, since the main bridge does not span the entire strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
. The main bridge crosses form Nordlandet to the islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
of Rensvikholmen and then a smaller bridge completes the crossing to Frei.
Prior to the merger of the municipalities of Kristiansund and Frei on 1 January 2008, the bridges marked the border between the two municipalities. The original bridge was in use from 1940 until 1981. The second bridge is currently in use, and a third bridge is now in the planning stages. The bridge lies just south of the Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget
Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget is a small size international airport located next to the small mountain Kvernberget, east southeast or from the town center of Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, opened in 1970 and caters to the county's northern district, Nordmøre. The airport...
.
Old bridge
The 200 metres (656.2 ft) long original bridge is a steel through arch bridge. It is still standing, but is not in regular use. The Omsund Bridge was opened for traffic in April 1940, but with no opening ceremonyOpening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Local young men just tore down the barricades in the middle of the night. On 22 April 1940, German bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s tried to destroy the new bridge, but missed and managed only to kill 15 year old Ingolf Vatten on a bike several hundred meters away on Frei, and set the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
on fire on Nordlandet. In May, the new bridge was crucial during the emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
of the burning of Kristiansund.
This bridge to Frei
Frei
Frei is a village, island, and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansund between the Kvernesfjord and Freifjord...
made it possible to shorten the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
trip between Kristiansund and Gjemnes
Gjemnes
Gjemnes is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal peninsula. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is Batnfjordsøra, which lies along the Batnfjorden and is a former steamship landing place...
on the main land by 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), when a new road crossing Frei was completed in the 1940s. The ferry was finally replaced with an undersea tunnel
Undersea tunnel
An undersea tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under a body of water. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is impossible, or to provide competition for existing bridges or ferry links...
in 1992 as part of the Kristiansund Mainland Connection.
The old bridge was replaced in 1981, but it finally opened "officially" in a ceremony on 24 April 2005, 65 years late, and 24 years after it was replaced. It was then made accessible again for pedestrians and cyclists, and protected as an important sample of Norwegian bridges built in the 1930s.
Current bridge
A new 292 metres (958 ft) long concreteConcrete
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...
cantilever bridge
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
, with two lanes and a fenced walkway
Walkway
In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels...
for pedestrians and cyclists. It was built right along side of the old, narrow bridge in 1981. The bridge carries the highway .
The bridge was hit by a large shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
trawler in the New Year's Day Storm
New Year's Day Storm
The New Year's Day Storm was a powerful European windstorm that affected much of northern Scotland and western Norway on January 1, 1992. DNMI estimated the strongest sustained winds to have reached 90 knots , comparable to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale...
of 1992.
Future bridge
On 18 March 2010, preliminary plans for a new 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) long replacement bridge were unveiled, as a part of a future highwayHighway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
to Kristiansund.