The striking future Fehmarn Bridge, which will span the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany, has been given the green light for construction by the Danish Parliament by an overwhelming majority of 104 votes in favour and three against.
The Politiken newspaper reports that construction on the massive bridge, expected to cost around 33 billion kroner, is slated to begin in 2012 and be completed in 2018. When finished, it will be the longest bridge in Denmark, spanning a 20-kilometre section of the Fehmarn Belt. The bridge is designed to have a four-lane motorway and two railway tracks.
Lars Barfoed, the Danish Transport Minister, called the vote “An historic decision that will connect the Nordic region – and thus Denmark – with the rest of the European continent.” Eastern Denmark is currently connected to the rest of Europe by the Great Belt Bridge to the Jutland Peninsula and there is also a bridge across the Sound from Copenhagen to Malmo, Sweden.
When it opens, the Fehmarn Bridge will allow drivers to cross into Germany in under 15 minutes. Presently, it takes about an hour to reach Germany across the Fehmarn Belt via ferries from the port at Rodby in southern Denmark.