Before the lake Hammarbysjön was transformed into a canal in the 1920s, Skanstull, the southern tollgate of the city, was surrounded by fortifications, including a moat over which a simple wooden bridge led into the city.[1]
In 1914, the City Council had determined the double traffic load at Slussen, caused by west-east going ships and north-south bound vehicles, would be solved by rerouting the ships south of Södermalm through a canal to be built.[1]
Delayed by World War I, the works were finally begun in 1923, and by 1925 a double leaf steel drawbridge was completed. The bridge is 14.9 metres wide with a 10.7-metre wide roadway, and has a horizontal clearance of 12.5 metres.[1]
During the construction of the bridge, the north–south traffic flow was confined to a temporary 98-metre long wooden viaduct with a central main span 32.5 metres long and pipes for water, electricity, gas, and sewer underlying the roadway.[1]
^ abcd
Dufwa, Arne (1985). "Broar och viadukter: Skansbron". Stockholms tekniska historia: Trafik, broar, tunnelbanor, gator. Uppsala: Stockholms gatukontor and Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning. pp. 206–208. ISBN91-38-08725-1.