Milestone for Øresund Bridge

20 million cars have now passed over the Øresund Bridge since it opened five years ago.
 

The 20 millionth car drove over the bridge on Thursday, October 6 at 09.29.
The Øresund Bridge’s marketing director Jacob Vestergaard comments this development, which among other things has led to a dramatic increase in traffic during August and September by 18 and 19 percent: “It looks like integration in the Øresund region is accelerating just now, and this is both a result of developments on the housing and labour markets and evidence that people are becoming more aware of the opportunities in the region. There is severe pressure on the housing and labour markets in Denmark, and this means that many Danes are now looking for less expensive housing in Sweden. They keep their jobs in Denmark and commute over the bridge. We are also seeing more and more Danish companies recruiting manpower from Sweden, since there is a deficit of manpower in Denmark.”

He adds: “In terms of recreational activities it’s largely shopping and culture that draws traffic over the bridge. The cheap Swedish krona makes it lucrative for the Danes to shop in Sweden, while the Swedes are still keen to go to Copenhagen for a wider range of products. The number of trips made by our contracted customers in their free time has risen by over 40 percent in one year, and we now have over 65,000 customers with bridge passes who drive over the bridge at SEK 150 per single fare.”

The transit of persons over the bridge since its inauguration is now up around 79 million. 29 million have travelled as passengers on the train, and 50 million have taken the car over the Sound.” (www.nfo.nu)