It Looks Like A Road To Nowhere, But It’s Actually A Tunnel Between Countries!

One of my brothers is terrified of bridges. Living near the east coast of the United States, it’s a common tradition in the summertime for families to load up the car and head to one of the many nearby beaches. My family has a small place, right on the water where we swam, boated, played in the sand, and enjoyed quality family time. But to get to the coast, you have to travel over a couple of very large bridges. And each year, my brother was nearly overtaken by panic and fear when we had to cross. If it was a busy day and there was traffic on the bridge, causing us to stop for periods of time, it was nearly unbearable for him.

Between Denmark and Sweden there is a unique “disappearing” bridge named the Øresund Bridge. It doesn’t actually disappear, but turns into an underwater tunnel. I think my brother would like this solution.

From the coast, it looks like a normal bridge. However, you can see the bridge seem to disappear into the water in the distance.

A bridge over the Øresund was proposed by a consortium of engineering firms as far back as 1936 but getting the project off the ground wasn’t easy. There were numerous obstacles, including disagreements about its placement, its form, and its importance versus other road projects. In fact, the bridge was actually approved in 1973 only to be cancelled in 1978 for economic and environmental reasons. It wasn’t until 1991 that a new agreement was signed and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.  Construction began in 1995 and the bridge wasc ompletd on August 14, 1999. Phew!

At least it was worth the wait. The Øresund bridge is absolutely stunning and an incredible engineering feet. But where does this incredible bridge take you? What features does it possess? And what’s on the “island” where the bridge meets the tunnel?

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