Jotun Coatings Protect Norway Suspension Bridge

To help protect the Arctic Circle’s longest suspension bridge, Norwegian paints and coatings manufacturer Jotun (Sandefjord) provided its Jotamastic steel coating, which equips the structure with anticorrosion protection in a part of the world where temperatures can fluctuate 40 degrees throughout the course of the year.

Hålogaland Bridge, located in Narvik, Norway, was completed in the middle of December, a project that took five years to build.

Arctic Circle Suspension Bridge

The structure, spanning 1,533 meters (just over 5,000 feet) across Romsbak Fjord, cost 3.5 billion NOK to build ($418 million). Hålogaland Bridge was built in 30 sections, with 7,000 tons of bridge deck, according to Jotun. Hege Karset Bjorgum, Global Concept Director Infrastructure for the company, noted that Jotun worked with China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group, coating all 30 sections in a 10-month period.

To help protect the Artic Circle’s longest suspension bridge, Norwegian paints and coatings manufacturer Jotun (Sandefjord) provided its Jotamastic steel coating, which equips the structure with anticorrosion protection in a part of the world where temperatures can fluctuate 40 degrees throughout the course of the year.

Bjorgum also added that Jotun executed a training program with the main contractors, while providing quality control oversight of surface application and finishing.

“This involved stringent technical inspections in China, as well as delivering on-site expertise during the actual installation process in Narvik," said Bjorgum.

“Hålogaland bridge carries the main national North-South roadway, the E6, over the [300-meter-deep] fjord waters, providing a direct connection that is central to regional development,” Bjorgum noted. “It is fundamentally important to the local populace, but also to Norway itself and, as such, demanded the highest standards of construction and protection.”

The structure features two A-shaped superstructure towers, each standing 179 meters above the water. The central suspended deck spans 1,145 meters. Over 900 workers worked on the project over the five-year build period.