Most between Denmark and Germany will shorten the journey from the Czech Republic to the north

Copenhagen - Denmark and Germany today agreed to build a new bridge connection between the two countries across the Fehmarn Belt strait from Danish Rødby to German Puttgarden. The bridge, which will significantly shorten the road connection also between the Czech Republic and Scandinavia, will be completed in 11 years.
    The main financial burden for the construction of this 19-kilometer-long bridge connection will be borne by Denmark, but similar to the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the bridge across the Fehmarn Belt will not be financed by taxpayers’ money, but through fees from those who will use it. The Danish state will, however, provide all necessary guarantees and credits for the construction, while Germany will finance the railway and road access to the bridge on its territory. According to current estimates, the construction of the bridge will cost more than 150 billion CZK.
    According to forecasts, around 10,000 vehicles will cross the new bridge daily. In comparison, the bridge across the Øresund strait between Swedish Malmö and Danish Copenhagen currently averages 18,000 vehicles per day. Another major Nordic bridge across the Store Belt strait between the Danish islands of Funen and Zealand also has significantly more traffic than the new planned connection between Denmark and Germany. Like the Øresund Bridge, the bridge across the Fehmarn Belt will also be two-tiered - motor vehicles will travel on the upper level and trains will travel below. Construction is set to begin in 2011.
    Anyone wanting to cross "dryly" from the Czech Republic to Scandinavia today must first travel through German Hamburg to Denmark and then through the Jutland peninsula and the islands of Funen and Zealand into Sweden. The journey from Prague to Malmö by land is currently about 1,150 kilometers. The new bridge will shorten this journey by up to 200 kilometers without the need for a ferry connection across the sea.