Sweden’s First Environmentally-classified Road Bridges in Rotebro
NCC has built two new road bridges over the Ostkustbanan (East Coast Railway Line) for the E4 at Rotebro. This is Sweden’s first land and civil engineering project that has begun with a CEEQUAL certification which made NCC first in Sweden to apply CEEQUAL to Swedish conditions. This is a clear indication of the importance of environmental and sustainability issues to NCC, even for infrastructural investments.
NCC was the first in Sweden to apply CEEQUAL to Swedish conditions. We are learning lessons that will benefit the entire construction industry.
The new eastern bridge was built in a provisional position and used as a temporary bypass for the duration of the construction period. The existing western bridge was then demolished and replaced with a new one. Once this had been completed, the previous eastern bridge was torn down and the new eastern bridge moved to its permanent position. This approach meant that, during the main part of the construction period, there were always two separate bridges, each supporting a three-lane motorway, available to road users. This solution allowed for a more consistent rhythm of traffic, and lower levels of emissions and noise due to the reduced risk of traffic queues.
In addition to the demolition of earlier bridges and the construction of two new ones, expansion work to connect the E4’s slip-roads to the bridges was also necessary. The area’s peripheral roads, bus lanes, cycle lanes and pavements also needed to be rebuilt.