Inderhavnsbroen Bicycle Bridge Copenhagen

Inderhavnsbroen (‘Inner Harbour Bridge’) is a 180m bicycle and pedestrian sliding bridge that spans Copenhagen’s Inner Harbour at a key connectivity point. The design is very unusual because the two opening spans slide axially along the bridge centerline, meeting at the middle where the two spans “kiss” – hence the “Kissing Bridge” nickname. Despite its massive success by traffic (daily bicycle counts of ~16,000 are 300% higher than projected) the bridge is widely considered an architectural design failure. Long-proven basic design principles and best practices were ignored. The sliding span geometry necessitates abrupt lateral lane shifts (chicanes), dangerous for both bicycles and pedestrians, and critically, interaction between the two. Further deficiencies include steepness of approach grades, camber, surface friction and convoluted direction-finding – all attested to in the numerous crashes, visible skid marks and retrofitted safety features. The bridge was designed by Flint & Neill with Studio Bednarski and Hardesty & Hanover, and opened on 7 July 2016.

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Contained in galleries: Bridges

Inderhavnsbroen (‘Inner Harbour Bridge’) is a 180m bicycle and pedestrian sliding bridge that spans Copenhagen’s Inner Harbour at a key connectivity point. The design is very unusual because the two opening spans slide axially along the bridge centerline, meeting at the middle where the two spans “kiss” – hence the “Kissing Bridge” nickname. Despite its massive success by traffic (daily bicycle counts of ~16,000 are 300% higher than projected) the bridge is widely considered an architectural design failure. Long-proven basic design principles and best practices were ignored. The sliding span geometry necessitates abrupt lateral lane shifts (chicanes), dangerous for both bicycles and pedestrians, and critically, interaction between the two. Further deficiencies include steepness of approach grades, camber, surface friction and convoluted direction-finding – all attested to in the numerous crashes, visible skid marks and retrofitted safety features. The bridge was designed by Flint & Neill with Studio Bednarski and Hardesty & Hanover, and opened on 7 July 2016.