View source for Little Belt Bridge

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{about|the old bridge|the new bridge|Little Belt Bridge (1970)}}
{{short description|Bridge over the Little Belt strait in Denmark}}
{{Infobox bridge
|fetchwikidata=coordinates
|name                = Little Belt Bridge
|native_name         = Lillebæltsbroen
|native_name_lang    = da
|image         = Den Gamle Lillebæltsbro.JPG
|caption       = The bridge seen from Funen (Fredericia in the background)
|official_name = 
|carries       = The [[Copenhagen–Fredericia/Taulov Line|railway line between Jutland and Funen]] & {{Interlanguage link|Secondary route 161|da|Sekundærrute 161}}
|crosses       = The [[Little Belt]]
|locale        =
|other_name    = Old Little Belt Bridge
|maint         = 
|id            =
|designer      = 
|design        = [[Truss]] bridge 
|material      = 
|spans         =
|pierswater    = 
|mainspan      = {{convert|220|m|ft|0}}
|length        = {{convert|1178|m|ft|0}}
|width         = {{convert|20.5|m|ft|0}}
|height        = {{convert|60|m}}<ref name=Stroempillerne/>
|load          =
|clearance     =
|below         = {{convert|34|m}}<ref name=Stroempillerne/>
|traffic       = 10.000 cars, 210 trains daily<ref name=Stroempillerne>[https://www.bane.dk/da/Presse/Pressemeddelelser/Stroempillerne-paa-Lillebaeltsbroen-har-faaet-et-loeft Strømpillerne på Lillebæltsbroen har fået et løft]</ref>
|begin         = 1929
|complete      = 1935
|open          = 14 May 1935
|closed        =
|toll          =
|map_cue       =
|map_image     =
|map_text      =
|map_width     =
|builder       =[[MT Højgaard|Monberg & Thorsen]]
|coordinates   = 
|lat           =
|long          =
}}

The '''Little Belt Bridge''' ({{langx|da|Lillebæltsbroen}}), also known as the '''Old Little Belt Bridge''' ({{langx|da|Den gamle Lillebæltsbro}}), is a [[truss]] bridge over the [[Little Belt]] strait in [[Denmark]]. It spans from [[Snoghøj]] on the [[Jutland]] side to [[Middelfart]] on [[Funen]].

The bridge is owned by the Danish state, with the Danish railway authority [[Banedanmark]] responsible for maintenance.  It was the first bridge constructed over the strait, beginning the connection of the three main parts of [[Denmark]] by road and rail, which was completed with the [[Great Belt Bridge]] in June 1998. Previously, only [[Ferry|ferries]] and other boats had transported people over the belts.

== Construction ==
[[File:Sven Henriksen - Lillebæltsbroen (1935).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Poster from the inauguration of the Little Belt Bridge in 1935 by [[Sven Henriksen]].]]
The Little Belt Bridge was built by [[MT Højgaard|Monberg & Thorsen]].<ref>{{Structurae|id=20004538|title=Little Belt Bridge (1935)}}</ref> Construction of the bridge began in 1929 and it was opened for traffic on 14 May 1935.  It is 1,178 metres long, 20.5 metres wide and 33 metres high, with a main span of 220 metres.  On the bridge there are two railway tracks, two narrow [[Road|lanes]] for cars to cross as well as a [[sidewalk]] for pedestrians. No mass machinery was used in the construction of the bridge at the time.  The bases of the [[Deep foundation|piles]] were lowered into the sea from boats according to precise calculations, and molds both for the piles and each end of the bridge were first constructed of wood and later manually filled with cement from [[bucket]]s.

== Conversion to railway use==
When [[Little Belt Bridge (1970)|the new Little Belt Bridge]] came into use in 1970, the old bridge lost its function as the main traffic line for cars between Funen and Jutland; however, it is still used as the only railway bridge between Jutland and Funen and thus the only railway line connecting Jutland with [[Zealand (Denmark)|Zealand]] as well, as well as to carry traffic between [[Fredericia]] and [[Middelfart]] and their neighbouring villages.

== Maintenance ==
[[File:The Little Belt Bridge (1935) (Scaffold - 02).jpeg|thumb|right|A mobile maintenance scaffold attached to the bridge]]
[[File:BeltbrückenNachtsH2b.jpg|thumb|right|old and new bridge at night]]

The bridge requires constant maintenance.  During the first decades after its construction, a group of workers would begin painting the entire steel structure from one end, proceed to the other and begin all over again once that was finished. 
Five to thirteen people work on the bridge at all times.

The bridge was closed to road traffic for most of 2018 and 2019 due to renovation work.<ref>[https://fyens.dk/artikel/lilleb%C3%A6ltsbro-lukkes-det-meste-af-2019-bommen-g%C3%A5r-ned-om-to-uger Lillebæltsbro lukkes det meste af 2019 – bommen går ned om to uger]</ref> Rail traffic continued almost uninterrupted, as the bridge is the only connection over Little Belt for trains.

== Tours ==
In 2015, guided 'bridgewalking' tours on top of the framework were introduced at the Little Belt Bridge. A standard tour will take two hours and is offered among high security measures.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tv2fyn.dk/article/511459:Bridgewalking-er-aaben |title=Bridgewalking er åben |language=Danish |work=[[TV2 (Denmark)|TV2 Fyn]] |date=10 May 2015 |accessdate=17 September 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Little Belt Bridge (1970)|New Little Belt Bridge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120322044251/http://highways-denmark.com/old-little-belt-bridge/ The Old Little Belt Bridge – Highways-Denmark.com]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081009071911/http://www.highways.dk/danmark/broer/imagesbig/bro_lillebaelt_trafik5_500x375.html Picture gallery]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090622101943/http://www.trafikken.dk/wimpdoc.asp?page=document&objno=10943 Pictures of the bridge]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212223/http://www.trafikken.dk/wimpdoc.asp?page=document&objno=17182 Picture of and information about the bridge]

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{{Landmarks of Funen}}

[[Category:Bridges in Denmark]]
[[Category:Truss bridges in Denmark]]
[[Category:Cantilever bridges]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Denmark]]
[[Category:Railway bridges in Denmark]]
[[Category:Road-rail bridges]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1935]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in Denmark]]
[[Category:Connections across the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Fredericia Municipality]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Middelfart Municipality]]
[[Category:Middelfart]]