August 18, 1957
An arch bridge in the municipality of Fredrikstad in southeastern Norway was opened. The Fredrikstad Bridge crosses the river Glomma and connects the eastern and western parts of the municipality.
Crown Prince Olav (1903-1991) officiated at the inaugural ceremony for this bridge. At the time, he had been serving as the country’s regent (someone acting as head of state) for more than two years due to the debilitated condition of his father King Haakon VII (1872-1957) as the result of an accident. Just a little over a month after the opening of the Fredrikstad Bridge, Olave ascended to the throne as king following his father’s death.
Measuring 2,703 feet (824 meters) in length, the Fredrikstad Bridge is part of Norwegian National Road 110. This vehicular bridge has protected status as a national heritage structure. The accompanying photo of the Fredrikstad Bridge was taken in 2008.
Photo Credit: Chris Nyborg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cnyborg) – licensed under GFDL/CC-BY-SA
For more information on the Fredrikstad Bridge, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrikstad_Bridge
Transportation History 