European route E39 explained
| Country: | EUR |
| Type: | E |
| Route: | 39 |
| Length Km: | 1330 |
| Map Custom: | yes |
| Direction A: | North |
| Terminus A: | Klett, Norway |
| Direction B: | South |
| Terminus B: | Aalborg, Denmark |
| Countries: |  Norway
 Denmark |
European route E39 is the designation of a 1330km (830miles) north–south 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 Ålesund, 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 Norwegian national road system, and is as such developed and maintained by the public roads administration.[1] 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
- Melhus
- Semi-motorway Øysand-Thamshavn/Orkanger (22 km)
- Skaun
- Brekk Tunnel
- Mannsfjell Tunnel
- Viggja Tunnel
- Skaun
- Storsand Tunnel
- Orkland
- Heim
Møre og Romsdal county
- Tingvoll
- Gjemnes
- Molde
- towards Sunndalsøra
- Semi-motorway Hjelset - Lønset (9 km)
- Hjelset toll station
- ←Molde Airport, Årø →Eide, Elnesvågen
- → Fannefjordstunnelen direction Åndalsnes
- Ferry from Molde to Vestnes (35 minutes, 2 departures per hour, fee)
- Vestnes
- at Skorgenes, jointly with E39 until Spjelkavika
- Ålesund
- Sula
- towards Hareid
- Ferry from Solavågen to Festøya in Ørsta (20 minutes, 2 departures per hour, fee)
- Ørsta
- Volda
Vestland county
- Stad
- Kongenestunnelen (1120 m) and Breisvortunnelen (1380 m)
- at Leivdøla bridge, jointly with E39 until Nordfjordeid
- to Folkestad-Volda
- at Nordfjordeid to Måløy
- Gloppen
- Ferry from Lote to Anda (10 min, 1–2 departures per hour, fee)
- Sunnfjord
- Høyanger
- Gulen
- Masfjorden
- Alver
- Bergen
- at Nyborg towards Oslo
- Motorway Vågsbotn – Eidsvåg (5 km)
- Fløyfjellstunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 3195 and 3825 m each)
- Bergen
- in Bergen towards midtown, and towards Øygarden
- 3 Toll stations at Sandviken, Nygårdsbroen and Fjøsangerveien
- Semi-motorway Fjøsanger - Hop (2 km)
- Hop (14 km)
- Råtunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 2160 m each)
- to Bergen Airport, Flesland
- Lyshorntunnelen (two parallel tunnels, each)
- Skogafjellstunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 1510 m each)
- Toll station at Endelausmarka
- Svegatjørn
- Ferry from Halhjem to Sandvikvåg (40 min, 3 departures per hour, fee)
- Fitjar
- Stord
- Sveio
Rogaland county
- Tysvær
- Liland toll station
- at Aksdal, towards Haugesund and Drammen
- Bokn
- Ognasund Bridge (Ognasundbrua)
- Ferry from Arsvågen to Mortavika (25 min, 3 departures per hour, fee)
- Stavanger
- Randaberg
Stavanger
- Sandnes
- Stokkamyra toll station
- towards Bryne
- Gjesdal
Bjerkreim
Eigersund
- Lund
Agder County
- Flekkefjord
- Kvinesdal
- Fedaheitunnelen
- Fedafjorden Bridge (length, span)
- Teistedalstunnelen
- Vatlandtunnelen
- Lyngdal
Lindesnes
- Motorway Mandal junction – Grautheller junction (24 km)
- 2 toll stations at Skoieveien and Holbekstjønn
- Kristiansand
- Trysfjord Bridge
- 3 toll stations at Lohnelier, Storemyr and Vesterveien
- Søgnetunnelen (two parallel tunnels, each)
- at Kristiansand towards Oslo
- towards Hirtshals, Denmark (2–3 hours, 2–5 departures/day, fee)
Domestic ferries
The E39 ferries are operated by Fjord1 except the Volda-Folkestad and Festøya-Solavågen 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):[2] [3]
- Halsa–Kanestraum 20 min.
- Molde–Vestnes 35 min.
- Solavågen–Festøya 20 min.
- Lavik–Oppedal 20 min.
- Halhjem–Sandvikvåg 45 min.
- Arsvågen–Mortavika 25 min.
The Norwegian government plans to replace all the ferries on E39 in Norway with bridges and tunnels.[4] 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 over to Oslo. To begin with, the route was for large parts usable for walking and horse riding only, but in the following decades it was rebuilt to allow horse carriages. Several parts required boat. The route was Bergen–Åsane–Hordvik–(boat over Salhusfjorden)–Isdal–Hundvin–Gulen–Rutledal–(boat over Sognefjorden)–Leirvik (Hyllestad)–Flekke–Dale–Bygstad–Førde–Jølster–Gloppen-(boat over Nordfjord)–Faleide (Stryn)–Hornindal–Hellesylt–Stranda–(boat along Storfjorden)–Sjøholt–Vestnes-(boat over Romsdalsfjorden)–Molde–Angvik–(boat over Tingvollfjorden)–Tingvoll–(boat over Halsafjord)–Stangvik–Skei–Rindal–Orkanger–Trondheim. The 1786 decision also included a mail route between Stavanger and Bergen.In 1858, mail was rerouted to newly established steam ships Bergen–Vadheim, and the mail route changed to Vadheim–Sande–Førde, in parts precisely along today's route.[5]
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 Trondheim–Ålesund–Bergen–Stavanger–Kristiansand was named E39 in 2000. Kristiansund–Stavanger was earlier riksveg 1 (national highway 1, "coastal through-road") from 1992 and riksveg 14 before 1992. Stavanger–Kristiansand was part of E18, and Trondheim – Kristiansund was riksveg 65 and riksveg 71.
Future
- Rogfast, which will be the world's deepest and longest underwater road tunnel at 27adj=midNaNadj=mid and 392adj=midNaNadj=mid, was started (first blasting) in 2018 and is expected to be opened in 2033.[6]
- The entire route from Stavanger to Kristiansand is planned to be rebuilt into 4 lane motorway before 2035, in total 144km (89miles) remaining (as of 2021) to be built.
- There are plans to replace 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.[7]
Apart from Rogfast, two projects have a time plan, although delayed:- Hordfast (south of Bergen) is prioritised because of having the highest number of ferry ships, five in operation, and second-most vehicle traffic after Rogfast. It is prioritised 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 1700adj=midNaNadj=mid span, one of the longest in the world. The total cost for Hordfast is estimated to 37 billion NOK ($US billion) in part paid by road tolls of around 400 NOK. Regulatory standards will be completed in 2023, and it is estimated to be completed in the 2030s.[8]
- A crossing of Romsdalsfjorden (Ålesund–Molde), having a 16adj=midNaNadj=mid undersea tunnel and a 2000-meter-long suspension bridge with long span. Construction start is planned for around 2030.
- The remaining four fjord crossings are more unsure, but are being investigated.
a 4 km long floating bridge is considered.
a 1.8 km long suspension bridge with a 1.5 km span is considered.
a 3 km long floating bridge is considered.
Norway–Denmark ferry
An international car ferry is operated by Color Line[9] and by Fjord Line (seasonally).[10]
- Kristiansand – Hirtshals 3 hours 15 minutes
Danish part
From Norway, E39 goes with 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:
External links
Notes and References
- http://www.vegvesen.no/en/Home National Public Roads Administration of Norway, website
- Web site: Fjord1 website . 2009-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090219175245/http://www.fjord1.no/en/default.asp?menu=1450&page=538 . 2009-02-19 . dead.
- https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/norway-underwater-floating-tunnel-intl/index.html Can Norway win the global race to build a 'floating tunnel'?
- http://www.vegvesen.no/Vegprosjekter/ferjefriE39/English/Film 3D-animation the Sognefjord
- Web site: Historiske kart 22D 12; 23C 9; 28B 4; 28B 8; 29A 1; 29A 5: Hordaland / Sogn og Fjordane . 28 May 2017 . 8 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308004013/http://www.kartverket.no/historiske/rektangelht100/jpg300dpi/rektangelht100_22d-12_1866.jpg . dead .
- News: Skoglund . Earl . Den andre av tre store Rogfast-kontrakter er nå utlyst . 29 July 2022 . Veier24 . 2 March 2022.
- Web site: The E39 Coastal Highway Route. Statens vegvesen. 19 July 2020.
- News: Arbrev . Les . Hordfast kjem! . 29 July 2022 . Os&Fusaposten . 25 July 2022.
- http://www.colorline.com Color Line
- http://www.fjordline.com/en/ Fjord Line
