Planning of Large Infrastructures Under Changing Paradigms Bridge Building During the Time of Transition from Horse to Motor, 1855–1935
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1 14th International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility Annual Conference 2016 - Mobili- ties: Space of Flows and Friction. “Quinta Colorada”, Chapultepec Park, Mexico City October 27 – 30, 2016 Planning of large infrastructures under changing paradigms Bridge building during the time of transition from horse to motor, 1855–1935 Jørgen Burchardt [email protected] National Museum of Science and Technology, Denmark Intro Large infrastructure projects are responsible for the assembly of larger spaces. But planning a project is not straightforward. It is a significant decision because the infrastructure will exist for 80 years or more, and many preconditions can change within such a long time period. Infrastruc- tures are usually very costly, and therefore it takes time to make decisions, make detailed plans, and realize a project. Over the whole period of probably more than 100 years, the transport pa- radigm can undergo changes. This was the case of one of the most important bridges in Denmark, the one between Fyn and Jutland. The first rather realistic idea came up 135 years ago, and the bridge will be functioning many more years. In this period, the transport paradigm has changed several times. The paper explains the planning processes through the actions of the different actors and spokesmen. A mix of local interests, industrial lobby, technicians, and politicians joined the po- litical war between the established paradigm and the agents of the new era. Jørgen Burchardt is researcher at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Denmark and has former been director of the Danish Road Museum. He is currently working at the project “Freight transportation and supply chains 1900-2000”. His background is an education as engineer followed by studies in ethnology at the University of Copenha- gen and continuing education at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and Deutsches Museum, Germany. 2 The first plan The paradigm was changed not only for the A bridge over the Little Belt waters would con- traffic. An important change occurred in the nect two important parts of Denmark, and military field, as will be explained in more de- one could travel between Jutland and Funen tail, which was central to whether the bridge without having to sail. would be built at all. There were also some A connection was first mentioned in 1855 in changes in the technique of building bridges the Danish parliament, but it would take 80 years that provided new opportunities. An additio- before the bridge could finally be inaugurated. nal aspect was one of social issues, wherein This paper is about the changing conditions new taxes made funding possible. of this bridge over many decades. In fact, the Let's start chronologically. The spokesman for a link between the Danish islands, A. F. Tscherning, was no random person. He had a few years earlier been appointed minister of war at a time when part of the country re- belled, but the Kingdom partially defeated the rebels despite their help from German Confe- deration soldiers. Tscherning was party chair- man of the Peasant Friends. His great inte- rest in technical systems was likely due to his engineering background and his work abroad. In his speech he dealt mostly with the link between Zealand and Funen, where he beli- eved that the solution to the compound was a tunnel. He believed it could be built in the same fashion as tunnels in the mines, and he refuted skeptics who referred to the Thames Tunnel. Construction began in 1825, not to be completed until 1843 after many problems. Below is an extract from the shorthand mi- nutes of his speech. This is also a comment from another member of parliament, the well- known theologian and hymn writer Grundtvig. "At first glance produces the Great Belt as it seems, almost insurmountable obstacle; I ha- A. F. Tscherning painted in 1851 four years before ve for many years thought of this matter, and he proposed a connection between the two impor- tant parts of Denmark, Fyn and Jylland the more I thought about it, [...], the more it seemed to me as if the task is easier to solve than is the first moment could assume. [...] I will only say that in my mind is a subsea many years between the bridge’s propositi- link between Zealand and Funen (Grundtvig: on and implementation meant that the origi- It was a long tunnel!). Yes, it is even not such nal plans and ideas changed in many areas. a long tunnel. It must be well to notice that Transportation changed paradigm; where the it can be divided into a few portions, and al- original bridge would have been a pure railro- so it is well to keep in mind that in the large ad bridge, it ended with not only having rail mine galleries daily used to extract [...] coal, but also vehicular and pedestrian road traffic. are lengths of galleries, which are much more 3 The map shows the railway lines in Den- mark in 1875. Most of the white area was lost in 1864 in a war against Preussia; a large part came back to Denmark in 1920. The arrow shows Little Belt. significant than the ones here are questions on would benefit the development of the litt- about."1 le-populated areas. However, it was the then A tunnel under a portion of the Great Belt Secretary of War who decided on an eastern was first realized 141 years later. The conne- route. He had seen how the railways were an ction between Funen and Jutland they would excellent means of transportation to move tro- only have to wait 80 years on. It was not ac- ops and supplies, so he demanded that the tualized in 1855 because the railways did not railway go through the fortress city of Frederi- yet exist as a connection. No one even consi- cia. It proved through many years of debates dered that horse-drawn carriages and pede- in parliament impossible to agree on a route strians should have a bridge. in the then democracy's largest and longest There had been talked about plans for a discussions. A sort of compromise was deci- railway in Jutland since 1852 after the suc- ded in 1857. The first piece of the Jutland rail cessful tracks in Altona-Kiel opened in 1844 would be Aarhus, Denmark's second largest and from Copenhagen to Roskilde in opened city, and the rail would run westward into the in 1847. Of course, they decided, technical country. In this way, a large part of Jutland progress should also come for the largest part was connected via steamship from Aarhus to of the kingdom, Jutland. The only problem Korsør, where the train could carry them on to was the route. Some wanted a location in the Copenhagen. At the same time, this solution middle of the peninsula, while others wan- failed to consider the remaining routes. Par- ted the train to run between the rich eastern liament succeeded in 1861 to establish a loca- market towns with ports. The middle soluti- tion. This time Fredericia came on the route. 4 embark on a train on the other side. Traffic over the water rose sharply, and the Danish State Railways could see that a bridge would be a great advantage. State Railways began in 1883 to explore ways to build a bridge. Mea- surements and soundings were made in the area, current and soil conditions were studi- ed, and passing ships were counted. Although narrowest point of the river was up to 40 me- ters deep and the banks were steep, the base was of solid clay. The water’s flow velocity could be up to The painting shows Liltle Belt with the town Mid- delfart. The first regular steam powered ferry on 5.7 kilometers per hour, allowing for strong the belt came in 1861. ice packs in hard winters. Among this and other reasons, the narrowest point of the belt was identified as the most appropria- At the same time, it was decided to establish te for a bridge because the ice was broken rail on Funen from Nyborg and Middelfart. In on both sides while bolting happened el- this context, it was decided that the ferry from sewhere. Measurement of ships included Funen should not sail from Middelfart and to the height of the ships' masts, which would Snoghøj, but had to sail to Fredericia due to lay down an average height of 33 meters. military considerations.2 Parliament drafted a proposal for the bridge. Hereby the railway Aarhus-Randers ope- The location was a little away from the nar- ned in 1862 and Nyborg-Middelfart in 1865. In rowest point, for here was the water depth only 1866, the railway continued to Strib, because 29 meters. The bridge was double-track with a it was here the ferry to Fredericia should sail. central station for the railway in Taulov. The This is due to the country’s great attention to bridge was 840 m long, measured from abu- Denmark's defense after the ignominious de- tment to abutment, and to this was spans of feat of the German and Austrian troops at war smaller lengths on both sides. in 1864, when Denmark lost Schleswig. At the The superstructure would be created in same time, this loss changed the country’s wrought iron as parallel dragons with com- orientation; while the train had previously posite grids. In total the iron alone weighed run to the south towards Hamburg, this had 11,000 tons.3 now become a foreign country.