European route E39

E39
E39
Route information
Length	1,330 km (830 mi)
Major junctions
North end	Klett, Norway
South end	Aalborg, Denmark
Location
Countries	Norway; Denmark
Highway system
	International E-road network; A Class; B Class;

European route E39 is the designation of a 1,330-kilometre (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.

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

E6 towards Oslo and Trondheim
Fv707 Klett junction

Melhus

Semi-motorway Øysand-Thamshavn/Orkanger (22 km)

Skaun

Brekk Tunnel (1,290 metres (4,230 ft))
Mannsfjell Tunnel (1,790 metres (5,870 ft))
Viggja Tunnel (2,730 metres (8,960 ft))
Fv709 Skaun
Storsand Tunnel (3,670 metres (12,040 ft))

Orkland

Fv65 Orkanger towards Surnadal
Fv714 Gagnåsvatnet towards Hitra and Frøya

Heim

Fv680 Vinjeøra towards Kyrksæterøra
Valsøy Bridge (380 metres (1,250 ft))
Fv65 Betna towards Surnadal
Ferry from Halsa to Kanestraum in Tingvoll (20 minutes, fee)

Møre og Romsdal county

Tingvoll

Rv70 towards Oppdal
Bergsøysund Bridge (931 metres (3,054 ft))

Gjemnes

Rv70 towards Kristiansund
Gjemnessund Bridge (1,257 metres (4,124 ft) length, 623 metres (2,044 ft) span)

Molde

Fv62 towards Sunndalsøra
Semi-motorway Hjelset - Lønset (9 km)
Hjelset toll station
←Molde Airport, Årø Fv64 →Eide, Elnesvågen
Fv64→ Fannefjordstunnelen direction Åndalsnes
Ferry from Molde to Vestnes (35 minutes, 2 departures per hour, fee)

Vestnes

E136 at Skorgenes, jointly with E39 until Spjelkavika

Ålesund

Fv650 Sjøholt → Linge ferry dock and Geiranger
E136 at Spjelkavika, jointly with E39 from Skorgenes at Tresfjord

Sula

Fv61 towards Hareid
Ferry from Solavågen to Festøya in Ørsta (20 minutes, 2 departures per hour, fee)

Ørsta

Fv655 Ørsta

Volda

Fv653 Furene → Eiksund tunnel
Rv651 to Volda-Folkestad
Rotsethorn Tunnel (4,309 metres (14,137 ft))
Hjartåberg Tunnel (3,504 metres (11,496 ft))
Fyrdsberg Tunnel (1,185 metres (3,888 ft))
Eidsnakk Tunnel (1,632 metres (5,354 ft))
Kviven Tunnel (6,490 metres (21,290 ft))
Fv60 to Hellesylt and Stranda

Vestland county

Stad

Kongenestunnelen (1120 m) and Breisvortunnelen (1380 m)
Rv15 at Leivdøla bridge, jointly with E39 until Nordfjordeid
Rv651 to Folkestad-Volda
Rv15 at Nordfjordeid to Måløy
Lotetunnelen 2,857 metres (9,373 ft)

Gloppen

Ferry from Lote to Anda (10 min, 1–2 departures per hour, fee)

Kleberget tunnel 126 metres (413 ft) under the Sandane Airport runway
Fv615 at Sandane
Fv60 at Byrkjelo

Sunnfjord

Rv5 jointly with E39 from Skei to Førde
Fv613 at Moskog to Balestrand over Gaularfjellet
Toll into Førde
to Førde hospital
Rv5 Førde
Toll into Førde
Fv57 at Espeland to Førde airport
Fv610 at Sande to Dale and Askvoll westbound or to Gaularfjellet eastbound

Høyanger

Fv55 at Vadheim
Bogstunnelen 3,482 metres (11,424 ft)
Noreviktunnelen 2,591 metres (8,501 ft)
Lavik
ferry from Lavik to Ytre Oppedal (20 min, 1–2 departures per hour, fee)

Gulen

Ytre Oppedal
Skrikebergtunnelen 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)
Jernfjelltunnelen 2,391 metres (7,844 ft)

Masfjorden

Matreberg Tunnel 1,352 metres (4,436 ft)
Masfjord Tunnel 4,110 metres (13,480 ft)

Alver

Eikefet Tunnel 4,910 metres (16,110 ft)
3 toll stations at Mundalsberget, Flatøy and Åsane
Mundalsberg Tunnel 1,085 metres (3,560 ft)
Fv57 at Knarvik
Hagelsund Bridge 623 metres (2,044 ft)

Fv564 to Flatøy and Holsnøy
Nordhordland Bridge (Nordhordlandsbrua) 1,614 metres (5,295 ft)

Nordhordlandsbrua pontoon bridge at Bergen

Bergen

E16 at Nyborg towards Oslo
Motorway Vågsbotn – Eidsvåg (5 km)
Fløyfjellstunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 3195 and 3825 m each)
Bergen
E16 in Bergen towards midtown, and Rv555 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)
Rv580 to Bergen Airport, Flesland
Lyshorntunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 9,220 metres (30,250 ft) 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

Fv545 to Fitjar

Stord

Stordabrua/Stord Bridge (1,076 metres (3,530 ft))
Bømlafjordtunnelen/Bømlafjord Tunnel (7,888 metres (25,879 ft); 262 metres (860 ft) below sea level)

Sveio

Rogaland county

Tysvær

Liland toll station
E134 at Aksdal, towards Haugesund and Drammen

Bokn

Ognasund Bridge (Ognasundbrua) (420 metres (1,380 ft))
Ferry from Arsvågen to Mortavika (25 min, 3 departures per hour, fee)

Stavanger

Mastrafjordtunnelen (4,424 metres (14,514 ft))
Byfjordtunnelen (5,875 metres (19,275 ft))

Randaberg
Stavanger

Randabergveien toll station
Motorway Tasta-Hove (19 km)
Eiganes Tunnel (two parallel tunnels, 3,750 metres (12,300 ft) each)
Rv13 towards Røldal using the Ryfylke Tunnel (14,500 m)
Rv509 towards Stavanger Airport, Sola
Refsnesveien toll station

Sandnes

Stokkamyra toll station
Fv44 towards Bryne

Gjesdal
Bjerkreim
Eigersund

Fv42 towards Tonstad

Lund

Agder County

Flekkefjord

Austadtunnelen (1,040 metres (3,410 ft))
Fv44 at Flekkefjord towards Sokndal

Kvinesdal

Fedaheitunnelen (1,450 metres (4,760 ft))
Fedafjorden Bridge (574 metres (1,883 ft) length, 335 metres (1,099 ft) span)
Teistedalstunnelen (1,920 metres (6,300 ft))
Vatlandtunnelen (3,180 metres (10,430 ft))

Lyngdal
Lindesnes

Motorway Mandal junction – Grautheller junction (24 km)
2 toll stations at Skoieveien and Holbekstjønn

Kristiansand

Trysfjord Bridge (534 metres (1,752 ft))
3 toll stations at Lohnelier, Storemyr and Vesterveien
Søgnetunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 4,010 metres (13,160 ft) each)
E18 at Kristiansand towards Oslo
E39 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.[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.

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:

Nordhordland Bridge (1994)
Gjemnessund Bridge and Bergsøysund Bridge (1992)
Stord Bridge and Bømlafjord Tunnel (2000)
Kviven Tunnel and further tunnels (2012)

Other large road projects include:

Klett–Orkanger (2005)
Orkanger–Høgkjølen (2015)
Lote Tunnel (1966)
Bogs Tunnel (2004) and the adjacent Norevik Tunnel (2012)
Masfjord Tunnel and adjacent tunnels (1986–1995)
Eikefet Tunnel (1980)
Fløyfjell Tunnel (1989), motorway
Lyshorn Tunnel (2022), motorway
Mastrafjord Tunnel and Byfjord Tunnel (1992)
Eiganes Tunnel, part of the Ryfylke Tunnel project for road 13 (2019)
Søgne Tunnel (2022), motorway

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 27 kilometres (17 mi) long and 392 metres (1,286 ft) deep, 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 four-lane motorway before 2035, 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, 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 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-meter-long (5,410 ft) 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]

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: