European route E39 is the designation of a northâÂÂsouth road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Europe.
In Trondheim, there are connections to E6 and E14; in ÃÂ
lesund, to E136, in Bergen to E16, in Haugesund, to E134, in Kristiansand to E18, and in Aalborg to E45.
Norwegian part
In Norway, the E39 is part of the country's national road system, with its development and maintenance falling under the jurisdiction of the public roads administration. The E39 is mostly a two-lane undivided road, and only relatively short sections near Stavanger, Trondheim, and Bergen are motorways or semi-motorways.
Trøndelag county
Trondheim Municipality
Melhus Municipality
Skaun Municipality
Orkland Municipality
Heim Municipality
Møre og Romsdal county
Tingvoll Municipality
Gjemnes Municipality
Molde Municipality
Vestnes Municipality
ÃÂ
lesund Municipality
Sula Municipality
- towards Hareid Municipality
- Ferry from SolavÃÂ¥gen to Festøya in ÃÂrsta (20 minutes, 2 departures per hour, fee)
ÃÂrsta Municipality
Volda Municipality
Vestland county
Stad Municipality
Gloppen Municipality
- Ferry from Lote to Anda (10 min, 1âÂÂ2 departures per hour, fee)
Sunnfjord Municipality
Høyanger Municipality
Gulen Municipality
Masfjorden Municipality
Alver Municipality
Bergen Municipality
Fitjar Municipality
Stord Municipality
Sveio Municipality
Rogaland county
Tysvær Municipality
- Liland toll station
- at Aksdal, towards Haugesund and Drammen
Bokn Municipality
Stavanger Municipality
Randaberg Municipality
Stavanger Municipality
Sandnes Municipality
- Stokkamyra toll station
- towards Bryne
Gjesdal Municipality
Bjerkreim Municipality
Eigersund Municipality
Lund Municipality
Agder County
Flekkefjord Municipality
Kvinesdal Municipality
Lyngdal Municipality
Lindesnes Municipality
- Motorway Mandal junction â Grautheller junction (24 km)
- 2 toll stations at Skoieveien and Holbekstjønn
Kristiansand Municipality
Domestic ferries
The E39 ferries are operated by Fjord1 except the Volda-Folkestad and Festøya-SolavÃÂ¥gen ferry, which are operated by Norled.
Domestic car ferries on the E39 are regarded as an integral part of national highways. Ferries operate according to a published timetable and standard prices for vehicles and passengers.http://www.fjord1.no http://www.tide.no The E39 includes the following ferry routes from North to South (approximate crossing time in minutes):
- HalsaâÂÂKanestraum 20 min.
- MoldeâÂÂVestnes 35 min.
- SolavÃÂ¥genâÂÂFestøya 20 min.
- AndaâÂÂLote 10 min.
- LavikâÂÂOppedal 20 min.
- HalhjemâÂÂSandvikvÃÂ¥g 45 min.
- ArsvÃÂ¥genâÂÂMortavika 25 min.
The Norwegian government plans to replace all the ferries on E39 in Norway with bridges and tunnels. This involves some of the longest proposed bridge spans.
History
In 1786, a royal decision was made to establish a postal route between Bergen and Trondheim. From the establishment of mail in Norway in 1647 until then, all mail between those cities went through Oslo. To begin with, the route was for large parts usable only for walking and horse riding, but in the following decades it was rebuilt and became accessible to horse-drawn carriages. Additionally, several parts were only accessible by boat. The route was BergenâÂÂÃÂ
saneâÂÂHordvikâÂÂ(boat over Salhusfjorden)âÂÂIsdalâÂÂHundvinâÂÂGulenâÂÂRutledalâÂÂ(boat over Sognefjorden)âÂÂLeirvik (Hyllestad)âÂÂFlekkeâÂÂDaleâÂÂBygstadâÂÂFørdeâÂÂJølsterâÂÂGloppen-(boat over Nordfjord)âÂÂFaleide (Stryn)âÂÂHornindalâÂÂHellesyltâÂÂStrandaâÂÂ(boat along Storfjorden)âÂÂSjøholtâÂÂVestnes-(boat over Romsdalsfjorden)âÂÂMoldeâÂÂAngvikaâÂÂ(boat over Tingvollfjorden)âÂÂTingvollâÂÂ(boat over Halsafjorden)âÂÂStangvikâÂÂSkeiâÂÂRindalâÂÂOrkangerâÂÂTrondheim. The 1786 decision also included a mail route between Stavanger and Bergen. In 1858, mail was rerouted to the newly established steamship line BergenâÂÂVadheim, and the mail route changed to VadheimâÂÂSandeâÂÂFørde, in parts precisely along today's route.
Since 1990, a number of long bridges and tunnels have replaced four of the ferries. The bridges and tunnels are:
Other large road projects include:
The route TrondheimâÂÂÃÂ
lesundâÂÂBergenâÂÂStavangerâÂÂKristiansand was named E39 in 2000. KristiansundâÂÂStavanger was earlier riksveg 1 (national highway 1, "coastal through-road") from 1992 and riksveg 14 before 1992. StavangerâÂÂKristiansand was part of E18, and Trondheim â Kristiansund was riksveg 65 and riksveg 71.
Future
- Rogfast, which will be the world's deepest and longest underwater road tunnel at long and deep, was started (first blasting) in 2018 and is expected to be opened in 2033.
- The entire route from Stavanger to Kristiansand is planned to be rebuilt into a four-lane motorway before 2035, with a total of remaining (as of 2021) to be built.
- Additionally, Norwegian authorities and private contractors have already prepared concrete construction plans that contemplate replacing every ferry link with a fixed connection. There are seven, but each presents a costly technical challenge as the fjords are wide and very deep, and have met public resistance.<br>Apart from Rogfast, two projects have a time plan, although delayed:
- Hordfast (south of Bergen) is prioritised because it serves the highest number of ferry ships, five in operation, and second-most vehicle traffic after Rogfast, despite being probably the most technically challenging of all these crossings. A five-kilometre-long floating bridge over Bjørnafjorden is planned, a new world record, in a stormy area, with clearing for ship traffic below. And a suspension bridge over Langenuen with a span, one of the longest in the world. The total cost for Hordfast is estimated at 37 billion NOK ($US billion), with road tolls contributing around 400 NOK. Regulatory standards will be completed in 2023, and the construction is estimated to be completed in the 2030s.
- A crossing of Romsdalsfjord (ÃÂ
lesundâÂÂMolde), having a undersea tunnel and a 2000-meter-long suspension bridge with a span. Its construction is scheduled to begin around 2030.
- Due to difficult terrain and technical challenges, the construction of the remaining four fjord crossings remains uncertain. Despite this, the realization of their construction has been actively studied.
- Sognefjorden: a 4 km-long floating bridge is considered.
- Nordfjorden: a 1.8 km-long suspension bridge with a 1.5 km span is considered.
- Sulafjorden and Vartdalsfjorden: a 4 km-long floating bridge plus a 2 km-long suspension bridge is considered.
- Halsafjorden: a 3 km-long floating bridge is considered.
NorwayâÂÂDenmark ferry
An international car ferry is operated by Color Line and by Fjord Line (seasonally).
Kristiansand â Hirtshals 3 hours 15 minutes
Danish part
From Norway, E39 continues via a ferry from Kristiansand to Hirtshals, in northern Denmark. Ferries are run by Color Line and Fjord Line. The motorway goes from the south of Hirtshals to the north of Aalborg. The exits are:
References
External links