Varodd Bridge


The Varodd Bridges are two parallel bridges in Kristiansand municipality, in Agder county, Norway, and they cross the Topdalsfjorden. They are named after the peninsula on the western shore. It goes from Vige and ends in Søm in Kristiansand. The bridges carry the European route E18 highway over the fjord.

Old Bridge

The Old Varodd Bridge is the older of the two bridges, which opened in 1956. It is a long suspension bridge, with a main span of. The two towers reaches above sea level. Before the completion of the second bridge, this was the only bridge crossing Topdalsfjorden, making it a two-lane bridge carrying traffic in both directions. Now, the Old Varodd Bridge only carries eastbound traffic. This bridge is scheduled for replacement in 2020. The replacement bridge is going to be built in between the two current bridges and construction will begin in early 2017.

New bridges

The New Varodd Bridge is parallel to the older bridge, and was completed in 1993 at a cost of US$13 million. It is a cantilever bridge with four spans. The main span is and a total length of. The bridge has a clearance below it. The bridge was built solely to relieve the traffic on the older bridge, and the two lanes only handles westbound traffic.
Another new cantilever bridge for eastbound traffic is under construction between the old and new Varodd Bridge. It will be completed by 2020.

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