E45 motorway faces further overnight repairs on Vejlefjord Bridge

Danish road authorities will carry out emergency repairs on the Vejlefjord Bridge along the E45 motorway on Thursday evening, marking the latest in a series of ongoing fixes to its failing expansion joints, state broadcaster DR reports.

Work will begin at 20:30 and is expected to finish by 05:30 on Friday to minimise disruption, according to Allan Højgaard Madsen, technical project manager at the Danish Road Directorate. The joint—one of two slated for full replacement this autumn—has suffered repeated damage in recent months, requiring multiple temporary repairs.

“We’ve had significant issues with one particular joint,” Madsen said. “We conduct extra-frequent inspections and have now detected another minor failure that needs addressing.”

The directorate has assigned a worker to regularly walk inside the bridge structure, monitoring its acoustic profile for changes that could signal emerging defects. “If the sound pattern shifts, it often means something isn’t right,” Madsen explained.

When the two problematic joints undergo full replacement later this year, the work will also take place overnight. Daytime traffic will retain three lanes in each direction, reducing to one lane per direction from around 19:00, with a 50 km/h speed limit imposed southbound during the construction period.

Madsen acknowledged further interim repairs may be necessary before the permanent fix. “We’re essentially keeping these joints functional until then,” he said, noting that production and delivery timelines for the new components span three to four months.

The E45 is already subject to major planned works between Aarhus and Vejle, as well as on the E20/E45 near Kolding.