Bridge across Södertälje Canal

A new railway bridge has been established South of Stockholm, Sweden. The new bridge is a mechanical lift bridge – making it possible to lift the rails up to 40.5 metres over the canal when ships are passing below the bridge

80 year old bridge was a nuisance to train and canal traffic

Almost 250 trains used to pass the old railway bridge across Södertälje Canal south of Stockholm every day. The bridge, which is almost 80 years old, was in a very bad state of repair. A good deal of maintenance was therefore necessary, and this was a nuisance to both train and canal traffic.

A mechanical lift bridge

We had signed a design-build contract to establish a new railway bridge right next to the existing bridge. The new bridge is a mechanical lift bridge that can lift the rails from the normal 25 meters to a height of 40.5 meters over the canal when ships are passing below the bridge.

Rerouting of cables and demolishing of existing bridge

In addition to construction of the bridge itself complete with approach bridges, piers and land abutments, the contract included:

• Rerouting of existing cables across Södertälje Canal
• Establishment of a new railway bridge across the nearby Viksängsvägen
• Rerouting of the railway
• Establishment of a new line of protective fenders along the canal
• Demolition of the existing bridges across Södertälje Canal and Viksängsvägen

Railway operations were maintained during the entire construction period.

A spectacular structure

The bridge was choesen as Södertälje's structure of the year in 2010. With pylons 50 metres high in dyed red concrete and a 55 metres long, blue steel bridge, which can be lifted up and down whan large ships have to sail under it, the bridge stands out as a spectacular structure.