Mjølan footbridge, Mo i Rana, NorwayMjølan footbridge, Mo i Rana, Norway

The project included the design of the footbridge and associated lighting and drainage, and formed a part of a larger infrastructure project by the owner that also included road widening, a new roundabout and bus stops. The new Mjølan footbridge opened in 2019.

Because of the merging of high schools in Rana Municipality in Norway, the Arctic Circle High School in the town of Mo i Rana has recently undergone an expansion to accommodate an increased number of students. As part of the developments, road and pedestrian access to the school had to be upgraded for improved traffic safety and capacity. This included new bus stops for the high school on the Fv810 access road (AADT 13.000) into Mo i Rana from the districts of Båsmoen and Ytteren and a new footbridge that improves connections to the public transport network.

Nordland municipality has overseen these developments by running a joint footbridge and road connection upgrade project. Following zoning plan work, EFLA was engaged to prepare the footbridge part of the project, and the bridge design took place in 2017-2018. The construction works ran from 2018-2019.

Mjolan-footbridge-8773The new footbridge is a curved 106-m long steel girder in six spans. The free width between parapets is 3-m. A hollow tube steel section is the main bearing element of the welded bridge cross section, supporting an orthotropic deck and a stainless-steel edge girders and handrail. The bridge has blue coloring, partly inspired by the nearby rock formation Marmorslottet, a popular tourist destination close to Mo I Rana.

The project itself is aimed at easier access for pedestrians and cyclists to the Arctic Circle High School and promotes the use of public transport and other green transport modes.

The carbon footprint of the new footbridge has been evaluated as part of a comparison between bridge alternatives.

EFLA carried out the pre- and tender design of the footbridge. The pre-design phase included the comparison of two bridge alternatives, a steel girder and a post-tensioned concrete girder with a curved underside. These alternatives were compared in terms of their performance with respect to 10 assessment criteria, including cost, duration of construction works, durability and maintenance and carbon footprint. At the end of the pre-design phase, the steel girder alternative was selected, mainly due to a shorter and simpler construction period with fewer associated traffic disruptions.

The tender design of the footbridge followed, including the design of lighting for the bridge and de-watering installations at the site.

During the construction period, EFLA played a vital role in construction support, helping the bridge owner overcome challenges encountered during this part of the project.

The bridge with its design features enhances the zoning plan concept. It meets the requirements that were set out at the project onset in an efficient and cost-effective way. Access to the high school is undoubtedly improved by the new bridge and the road upgrade project.