Leirfjorden suspension bridge

Abstract

<p>Leirfjorden suspension bridge is currently under design. It spans over the 800 m wide Leirfjord and is to carry the national highway E6 in Norway. The initial tender design was completed in 2018. However, the project was stopped due to a lack of funding. In 2021 an aluminum concept was investigated. It was found feasible. However, the aluminum concept was not continued, mainly due to a lack of experience in using that material in a suspension bridge. During the following planning and geological testing, the rock conditions in the steep hillsides were poor. This resulted in moving the towers backwards to the top of the steep hillsides. Therefore, the bridge has relatively short towers located 62 m behind the abutments. This unusual design leads to compression in the first pairs of hangers, an increase in weak axis bending moment, and an increase in the girder end rotation. This paper presents solutions to tackle the above-mentioned challenges.</p>