Great Belt Bridge spans to be lifted 84 times for renovation

The Great Belt Bridge will undergo a three-year renovation that requires its spans to be lifted 84 times, DR reports. The work is expected to begin in April 2027 and cost 232 million kroner.

The project will renovate 188 bridge bearings on the bridge’s western section, known as the West Bridge. Forty-four bearings will be replaced. The bearings allow the bridge to move without sustaining damage, project manager Finn Raun Gottfredsen of Sund & Bælt said.

Each time, a bridge span will be raised 20 millimetres so workers can access the bearings. One span is 110 metres long and weighs 5,500 tonnes.

The lifts are not expected to disrupt road traffic, Gottfredsen said. Train services will be suspended on the bridge while a span is being lifted.

A trial lift conducted by Sund & Bælt two years ago was intended to show that the work could be carried out without affecting traffic or the bridge’s structure. The bridge is nearly 30 years old.