25 February 2021

Storseisundet - The Bridge to Nowhere

Nervous drivers (and their equally nervous passengers) beware! You should really prepare yourselves for the sight of Storseisundet Bridge in Norway. The road connection from the mainland Romsdal peninsula to the island of Averøya in Møre og Romsdal county doesn’t look as if it actually connects as you drive towards it. In fact it looks very much as if you are in for an icy bath as you plummet off its 23 meters height.

However, you will be relieved to hear that this is simply something of an optical illusion. The bridge is built in such a way that from a certain angle, as you approach, it looks as it is more diving board than bridge. One can only imagine the creative spirit that overcame the architect as he sat at his desk. Known locally as the drunk bridge it forms part of the Atlanterhavsveien or Atlantic Ocean Road in English and attracts many a curious visitor.

Why it is built in this way is a secret lodged in the mind of its architect. It seems to have a different shape from whichever angle you view it which is, perhaps, what makes it so special.

Even when you can see the whole bridge it still looks, frankly, scary.

So, just to allay your nerves, here is the bridge from angles which makes it looks, well, almost like a normal bridge. Almost - but not quite!