Essay Bridge Construction Case Study & PM-Project Management – Management Assignment Help

Assignment Task     
    

Introduction to the Case Study

This case study presents background information on a complex engineering project. The purpose of this case study is to illustrate various practices that may have contributed to the project success.

The project involved bridge construction and tunnelling in navigable waterways and involved two nations. The project required an array of contractors and subcontractors. The project did not involve state-of-the art techniques but encountered technical difficulties. The programme did require attention to complex and often contradictory regulatory constraints. The programme, the Øresund Link between Denmark and Sweden was completed within budget and two months ahead of schedule.

This case study presents the background, personalities, organisation, and actions taken on the programme.

Background

The idea of a link between Denmark and Sweden dates from the latter part of the 19th Century. After a number of tentative starts a final agreement between the two countries was reached in 1973 for a permanent link across Øresund. Issues involving the type of traffic to be allowed and the location of tunnel vs. bridge components further delayed start until final agreement in 1990 on a road and rail link across the Øresund. A treaty was signed in 1991 with a target completion date of Sept. 2000. The link was opened to the public 1 July 2000. The final programme budget was Dkr14.75 billion. While this was over the original budget estimate of Dkr13 billion, the growth was primarily due to accommodate design changes and environmental monitoring and control programs. 

The programme involved a 16km long fixed link. There are three main elements to the link: a 7.8km bridge, a 4km artificial island and a 4km tunnel. The 7.8km bridge is a double-decker bridge with a four-lane road on top and two railway lines on the lower level. The bridge included a 1km central cable-stayed section crossing a shipping channel with a 3.7km and 3km bridge approach respectively on the eastern and western approaches to the central section. Approaching the bridge from the Danish side, travellers enter a 4km tunnel that includes a 500m section of cut and cover tunnel on the 4km artificial island that also had to be constructed. In addition to the tunnel and bridge, there is 430m artificial peninsula on the Danish side, and a terminal area, toll station and control centre on the Swedish side. In addition, numerous other public works and transportation connections were also involved in the final programme.