Editing Øresund Bridge (section)

===Requirements and design===
[[File:Øresund Bridge, Öresundsbron.jpg|thumb|Main span, vertical clearance is {{convert|57|m|ft|abbr=on}}]]
The owners had set high safety and environmental standards for the contractors. Among other things, the bridges had to: 
* Withstand collisions from ships and aircraft as well as earthquakes (the [[Pier (bridge structure)|pier]]s had to withstand forces of 210 MN and the spans 35 MN) 
* Withstand fast passenger trains ({{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}}) and heavy freight trains (max {{convert|120|km/h|abbr=on}}){{sfn|Øresundskonsortiet|1998}}
* Road traffic at {{convert|120|km/h|abbr=on}}
* Withstand high wind speeds (61 m/s) 
* Have a lifespan of at least 100 years 
* The flow of water through the Sound would not be affected

The bedrock under the Sound consists of Copenhagen [[limestone]] of very varied composition. Many borehole samples were therefore taken in the area before the detailed design of the bridge. Sundlink had great freedom to design details and processes within the owners' specifications. Changes were made on an ongoing basis, but only at a detailed level. A decisive factor was the availability of the world's largest [[crane vessel#Hammerhead crane barges|hammerhead crane barge]], the ''[[:sv:Svanen (pontonkran)|Svanen]]'' (the Swan). The crane was built in 1991 for the construction of the Great Belt Bridge and was subsequently used in the construction of the [[Confederation Bridge]] in Canada. With the detailed planning of the Øresund Bridge already underway, it became clear that the ''Svanen'' would be available earlier than expected, just in time for the Øresund Bridge spans to be put in place. The ''Svanen's'' large lifting capacity meant that the length of the spans could be increased from the planned {{convert|120|m|ft|abbr=on}} to {{convert|141|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Fewer piers were thus needed, which was favorable for the flow of water through the Sound.<ref name=absolut/>

Sundlink used many [[subcontractor]]s from different countries with different languages and cultures. Since the countries could have different terminology and standards, it was decided to use the then rather untested European standards for [[structural design]], the [[Eurocodes]]. Sundlink also set up its own facility at ''[[Norra hamnen, Malmö|Norra hamnen]]'' (Northern port) in Malmö for concrete casting, assembly and [[logistics]].<ref>{{cite web |last1= Jansson |first1= Anders H. |last2= Olofsson|first2=Ingvar H.|date= 1998|title= The Öresund Link: bridges for rail and road traffic|url= https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=bse-re-003%3A1998%3A79%3A%3A622 |website= e-periodica.ch|location= |publisher= ETH-Bibliothek Zürich|access-date=23 March 2025}}</ref>