North River Bridge, Thule, Greenland

The new North River Bridge completed in 2002, is possibly the most northerly built road bridge of its size, at the latitude of 77o N. The bridge with a 60 m span crosses the North River, which runs parallel with the runway in Thule Airport, Greenland. The bridge replaces a shorter 23 m span truss bridge, which was destroyed during a flood in 2001. The arctic climatic conditions have influenced the selection of the structural system and steel which are adequate for application in very low temperatures. The bridge structure consists of two 5 m-tall Warren-type trusses carrying the 8,4 m wide bridge deck. The bridge deck consists of timber oak beams transversely prestressed together with bars forming a homogeneous slab. The timber deck is particularly suitable in a dry and cool climate.