Øresund Bridge, Cable-stayed bridge between Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden
The Øresund Bridge runs 7,845 metres from the Swedish coast to the artificial island Peberholm, with four road lanes on the upper deck and two railway tracks below. Its cable-stayed main span of 490 metres is carried by four 204-metre pylons and 160 cables, giving 57 metres of clearance over the Flintrännan fairway. The bridge is the central section of the Øresund Link, which continues through the Drogden Tunnel to Amager.
Planning commenced in the 1990s as a joint Danish-Swedish project to replace ferry services between the two countries. Construction started in 1995 and required 79,000 tons of steel and 85,000 cubic meters of concrete. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark opened the connection on July 1, 2000. Rail services began the same month with direct trains running between both capitals.
The connection handles over 70,000 vehicle movements daily and forms a central axis for the Øresund Region, where nearly four million people live and work on both shores. Commuters cross the strait regularly for employment, education and family visits, creating an integrated cross-border economic zone. The merger of two labor markets has established Malmö as a residential area for Copenhagen workers and vice versa.
Travelers purchase tickets online through the ØresundGO system, which offers the lowest rates and includes discounts for frequent users. Motorists pay tolls based on vehicle size while train passengers use regular rail tickets. The crossing takes roughly ten minutes by car and eight minutes by train. Pedestrians and cyclists cannot use the route directly but shuttle buses are available.
The link's name is officially written Øresundsbron, a compromise between the Danish Øresundsbroen and Swedish Öresundsbron. The 4,050-metre Drogden Tunnel, with 3,510 metres underwater, carries the railway and road beneath the strait. The artificial island Peberholm, about 4 kilometres long, was built to connect bridge and tunnel and is an uninhabited nature reserve.
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