History of Bridgewalking

In 2011, a local citizen from Middelfart goes up to the then municipal director

Mogens Rasmussen had seen BaneDanmark’s people working at the top of the bridge construction and had thought that it would be exciting to be allowed to go so high up in the air himself. When he was on a holiday in Australia at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, he was convinced. We should also have that at the Little Belt.

HISTORY

Municipal Director Søren Andersen passes on the idea to Martin Albertsen, Chief of Staff at Middelfart Municipality. Martin Albertsen secures support for the collaborative project from Fredericia Municipality and establishes a small group across the two municipalities that will continue to work on the idea.

On 7 November 2011, a joint application will be sent to BaneDanmark. On 24 February 2012, BaneDanmark received a response suggesting that they meet to investigate the possibilities of establishing a tourist attraction in the bridge construction – while at the same time the bridge should still function as an important traffic artery.

In the coming months, a business case will be prepared, market research and applications will be sent to relevant agencies.

And finally, on 21 December 2012, a reply comes from the Ministry of Transport, where Minister Henrik Dam Kristensen gives his support to the idea and writes that he is looking forward to following the project.

At the inauguration on 10 May 2015, it was no longer Henrik Dam Kristensen who was the Minister of Transport, but rather Magnus Heunicke. He gave a speech at the inauguration, as well as speeches from the two mayors Jacob Bjerregaard (Fredericia Municipality) and Steen Dahlstrøm (Middelfart Municipality), the Australian ambassador Damien Miller and CEO of BaneDanmark Jesper Hansen, before Crown Princess Mary 60 meters above the Little Belt declared Bridgewalking open.

Mogens Rasmussen has been honored several times for his idea. He was presented with the Funen Bank's Initiative Award in 2017.

Facts about the bridge

Bridge type: Lattice girder bridge

Construction period: 1925 – 1935

Inauguration Date: May 14, 1935

Length: 1178 m.

Width: 20.5 m.

Total weight: 305,000 tonnes, of which 280,000 tonnes concrete

The steel superstructure:

Length: 825 m.

Number of rivets: over 2 million