When Lejonströmsbron was built in the 1730s, the need for a connection across the Skellefteå River was paramount. For centuries it served as a crucial link for trade, transport and community development in the region. Today it stands as Sweden’s oldest preserved timber bridge and in 1994 it was declared a listed building.
One of the largest urban tranformations
Almost three centuries later, Skellefteå finds itself in one of the largest urban transformations in modern times. As new residential areas, preschools and roads emerge in one of Norrland’s major cities, Karlgårdsbron becomes a vital artery. It strengthens the city’s resilience by creating multiple traffic connections across the river and reducing vulnerability in Skellefteå’s expanding road system.
Karlgårdsbron is a king-post truss bridge with a timber superstructure, built with glulam beams and assembled in sections that are successively launched across the Skellefteå River. The bridge will have eleven supports, seven of which are placed in the river.
It is being constructed with locally sourced materials. The glulam beams are manufactured at Holmen’s sawmill in Bygdsiljum, just over an hour from the construction site. To enable year-round work, the bridge’s various parts are built in a temporary weather shelter, located right next to the southern bridge abutment. Just before the new year, the first timber section emerged from the factory, a 65-metre-long timber construction that forms part of the deck’s foundation.
In total, six sections must be positioned before the entire deck, including the pedestrian and cycle path, is in place. After that, work begins on the red timber trestles. The zigzag pattern is a clear nod to the old Lejonströmsbron and will give the bridge its characteristic expression.
Text: Gustav Schön Photo: Skanska, Skellefteå kommun, Kenny Westermark
