Representatives from the Norwegian Consulate General, the Danish Consulate General, Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Norwegian Public Roads Administration, MT Højgaard and other involved agencies attended the shipping ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Hardanger Bridge at the industrial dock at Chang Xing Island. The project has attracted a lot of attention, both in China and Norway, since the contract was signed in July 2009.
The bridge has gone through extensive testing to make sure it can withstand the winds and weather so characteristic to the Norwegian west coast. And Zhenhua’s construction of the bridge body has received recognition from MT Højgaard A/S and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The construction of the Hardanger Bridge has been seen as one of the worlds most advanced and difficult bridge construction projects, because of the geographical challenges in Hardanger.
The Hardanger Bridge will be Norway’s longest bridge with a main span of 1,310 meters. The towers will reach 186 meters and the sailings will be 55 meters tall. It will cross the Hardangerfjord in southwestern Norway and will replace today’s ferry connection and will reduce the journey time between Oslo and Bergen significantly. MT Højgaard believes that the bridge will be a new Norwegian landmark which “hovers in the air” across the fjord.
The voyage for transportation of the bridge parts from China to Norway will take about 45 days.
