The world's first bridge built with SSAB Zero™

Every day, 50,000 vehicles pass through the Lund Södra interchange on the E22 in southern Sweden. This high volume of traffic has led to long queues, prompting the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) to invest in modernizing the area to improve flow and road safety.

A total of seven bridges are being built on road E22 along the stretch between Lund Södra and Lund Norra as well as on road 108 between Lund Södra and Staffanstorp: five in concrete, one in steel, and one pedestrian bridge in SSAB Zero™. The green-painted bridge is 39 meters long and weighs just over 30 tonnes. It features a truss design where the hollow sections are produced in S355J2H Zero. The deck plates and beams are also constructed from SSAB Zero™: S355J2+N Zero.

“Approximately 95 percent of the steel in the bridge consists of SSAB Zero™,” says Tom Nordlindh. The remaining five percent consists of small specialized components, such as fasteners, manufactured from conventional blast-furnace steel.

The reconstruction of the interchange, including the construction of the bridges, has been carried out by Peab on behalf of the Swedish Transport Administration, which has imposed high environmental requirements on the project. Therefore, SSAB Zero™ was a natural choice for the pedestrian bridge.

“SSAB Zero™ has the same properties as conventional steel, but with a much lower climate impact. Using this material is therefore an effective way to significantly reduce the climate footprint of the bridge we have built,” says Tom Nordlindh.

SSAB Zero™ is made from recycled steel scrap and produced using fossil-free energy, which essentially eliminates carbon emissions*.

“It feels important in a process like this to have a client such as the Swedish Transport Administration that is willing to invest in this type of material,” says Tom Nordlindh.

The bridge was manufactured by Hjalmarssons in Sölvesborg. SSAB Zero™ is easy to weld and simple to process. Since the material behaves like conventional alternatives during welding and processing, production could be carried out without special adjustments.

“We haven’t worked with SSAB Zero™ before, but there has been no difference compared to processing conventional steel. It works in exactly the same way,” says Fredrik Andersson, CEO of Hjalmarssons.

Several stakeholders collaborated throughout the manufacturing process. Peab was responsible for the design and shop drawings that formed the basis for production. Hjalmarssons ordered the material and had it delivered to Sölvesborg.

"We built the truss sides horizontally, raised them, and then tack-welded the trapezoidal plates," says Fredrik Andersson.

The entire bridge was pre-assembled in the workshop to ensure quality. The structure was then transported to Varberg for painting. Once the bridge was ready, sections of the E22 were closed off for installation.

Lifting a bridge weighing around 30 tonnes is a time-consuming precision task where every move must be perfect, and darkness had fallen before the job was complete. Now, the new bridge is fully assembled. For cyclists and pedestrians, the project provides safer crossings and is a vital step in creating a more sustainable and accessible urban environment in Lund.

Although the pedestrian bridge is smaller than the major traffic solutions surrounding it, it represents something bigger: inspiring sustainable choices within the construction industry.

“This is one of many bridges we deliver across the country, but this one feels particularly important. Being part of driving development toward more sustainable materials is something we highly value,” says Fredrik Andersson.

Peab is also satisfied with the result:
“This bridge is a clear example of how climate ambitions can be turned into reality. It is an important step toward the sustainable transport infrastructure of the future,” concludes Tom Nordlindh.

*Verified in EPD.