European route E39 is the designation of a 1,330 kilometres (830 mi) 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.
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.
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.
[1][2] 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.
Anda–Lote 10 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.
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
A 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) motorway south of Bergen is under construction and expected to be finished in 2022.
Rogfast, which will be the world's deepest and longest underwater road tunnel at 27-kilometre-long (17 mi) and 392-metre-deep (1,286 ft), 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 2030, in total 144 kilometres (89 mi) 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 1,700-metre-long (5,600 ft) span, one of the longest in the world. The total cost for Hordfast is estimated to 37 billion NOK ($US 4.31 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 16-kilometre-long (9.9 mi) undersea tunnel and a 2000-meter-long
suspension bridge with 1,650 meters (5,410 ft) long span. Construction start is planned for around 2030.
The remaining four fjord crossings are more unsure, but are being investigated.
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.
Norway–Denmark ferry
An international car ferry is operated by Color Line[9] and by Fjord Line (seasonally).[10]
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: