Brevik Bridge

Brevik Bridge (Norwegian: Breviksbrua) is one of two bridges that span the mouth of the Frierfjord. It connects the municipalities of Bamble and Porsgrunn in Vestfold og Telemark county. On the west side, in Bamble, lies the town of Stathelle, while on the east side lies the town of Brevik in Porsgrunn.[1]

Breviksbrua and Grenlandsbrua over the Frierfjord
Brevik Bridge

Breviksbrua
View of the bridge
Coordinates59°03′00″N 9°41′40″E
CrossesFrierfjord
LocaleTelemark, Norway
Named forBrevik
OwnerNorwegian Public Roads Administration
Heritage statusProtected
Bridge number08-0580
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
MaterialConcrete and steel
Total length677 metres (2,221 ft)
Width10.3 metres (34 ft)
Height80 metres (260 ft)
Longest span272 metres (892 ft)
No. of spans19
Piers in water2
Clearance below45 metres (148 ft)
History
Opened26 May 1962

When the bridge opened in May 1962, it was part of the European route E18 highway. In 1996, the nearby Grenland Bridge (Grenlandsbrua) opened, taking over this role. Today, it is part of national road 354.

Protection

In 1997, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage were ordered to prepare a protection plan for state-owned roadworks in Norway. The final report published in 2002, National Protection Plan for Roads, Bridges, and Road-Related Cultural Heritage, recommended that both Brevik Bridge and Grenland Bridge be protected.[2] On April 17, 2008, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage officially protected the bridges' "construction and details" in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Act.[3]

2013 incident

On Saturday August 3, 2013, Linn Madelen Bråthen, age 33, was found dead on the shores of Sandøya. The police initially assumed the death was the result of a suicide jump from the Brevik Bridge.[4] Several days later the police announced they had charged a police officer with providing false testimony.[5] CCTV footage of the suspect together with Bråthen walking towards the bridge the night she died caused suspicion. The suspect was eventually charged with first-degree murder as the police thought he had pushed or thrown Bråthen off the bridge. Due to a lack of evidence the charge was changed to leaving Bråthen helpless, which lead to her death.[6]

In Lower Telemark district court, the suspect was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in prison. In the Agder court of appeal he was still found guilty, but the prison time was reduced by 6 months. The suspect tried to get the case heard by the Supreme Court, but they rejected the case.[7]

References
  1. "Breviksbrua". SNL.no (in Norwegian). Store Norske Lekiskon. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  2. "Nasjonal verneplan for veger, bruer og vegrelaterte kulturminne" (PDF). statensvegesen.no (in Norwegian). Statens Vegvesen. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  3. "Forskrift om freding av broer i Statens vegvesens eie". lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Lovdata. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  4. "Kvinne funnet i vannet". NRK.no (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  5. "Siktet for falsk forklaring". NRK.no (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  6. "Fakta om Brevikbrua-saken". aftenposten.no (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  7. "Ekspolitimannen anker dommen". NRK.no (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved June 25, 2019.


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