Bridge

I'm on my way to work across the bridge from Öland to the mainland and Kalmar. The Öland bridge was completed 1972, it's just over 6 km long and statistics say that approximately 15500 vehicles cross the bridge each day. In the summertime around 25000. Before the bridge was built 8 ferries did the job the bridge is doing now. In the ports queues, at certain times every day and especially during tourist season, was enormous. After the bridge was opened the ports of Färjestaden on Öland and Kalmar lost nearly all of the vehicles in town and the air got much better so a new era, more focused around people could begin.

Suggestions have been made to build a second bridge, or a tunnel because it's really a bit too small, especially during the vacation period when thousands of tourists invade the island because of its beaches and, often, the highest number of sun-hours during summer. So far the two communes has decided it's cheaper to maintain the bridge instead of constructing a second one. The current upgrade, which is quite substantial  is meant to be finished next autumn and last for another fifteen years.

We are extremely happy about our bridge. Otherwise it wouldn't be possible for lots and lots of people to live here and work in Kalmar. After the bridge was built there was a tremendous boom of housing being built on the island. From being quite a poor part of Sweden with only local farming and stone industry, it is now a huge tourist industry and a rapidly growing ground for small companies. A bridge is certainly one of the most important ways of connecting people and peoples, both physically and symbolically.