Gedser–Rostock Bridge


The Gedser-Rostock Bridge was a proposed project to link the Danish island Falster with the German city Rostock, stretching 40–45 km across the Baltic Sea. The proposal was an alternative to the now-planned Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link.
The bridge would complete the European route E55 and be the main link between Scandinavia and Berlin. Today, Gedser and Rostock are linked by the Scandlines ferries who also operate a Fehmarn Belt line.
If built as a bridge, it would be the longest bridge in the world over a body of water. If built as a tunnel, it would still be the longest underwater tunnel in the world, but the Seikan Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel are longer if measured by total tunnel length.
Although the distance is twice as long as across the Fehmarn Belt, the bridge could be built in part as a low bridge since water depths are shallower than in the Fehmarn Belt. The Gedser Reef offers depths of less than for some to the southeast of Gedser.

Arguments

Proponents argue that a Gedser-Rostock bridge would be much better situated as a link from Scandinavia to Berlin and high-growth areas in Eastern/Central Europe. The distance between Copenhagen and Berlin would be shorter by Gedser-Rostock as compared to by the Fehmarn Belt. From Copenhagen to Munich, could be saved, and from Copenhagen to Poland,.
In the debate on the Fehmarn Belt project opponents in Denmark have called it a vision dating from the Cold War, when it would have formed the obvious link from Copenhagen to Hamburg and Western Europe. Also, Hamburg already today is a bottleneck for road and rail traffic. The drawback of the Gedser-Rostock solution, apart from its greater length, is the journey from Copenhagen to Hamburg will be increased by. The current ferries across the Fehmarn Belt would, however, offer an alternative if they continued to operate.

Political views

The Danish Social Liberal Party and the Danish People's Party said on 3 June 2007 that they favoured the Gedser-Rostock bridge. They were supported by traffic researchers and a consultant from the German Ministry of Traffic.
The Danish transport minister Flemming Hansen rejected the Gedser-Rostock proposal on 4 June 2007, claiming that it would put the process "ten years back". The Social Democrats, who agree with the Government in this matter, mainly saw the new proposal as an attempt to derail the process, but also said that "if the Germans won't join in, but wish something else, then we will of course listen".
On 29 June 2007, the Danish and German authorities agreed to support the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link project rather than the Gedser-Rostock bridge.