One of Europe’s wealthiest countries has begun constructing its largest and most challenging infrastructure project to date, a £38.5 billion motorway which will transform the country’s west coast.
Norway’s stunning Atlantic coast boasts dramatic landscapes of mountains, glaciers and waterfalls and around 124 miles of fjords – long, narrow inlets carved by glaciers.
Navigating this landscape proves long and tedious, with a total journey time of a staggering 21 hours via its 683-mile E39 highway and reliance on ferries. This has resulted in a concerning depopulation of the region, including a 50% decrease in Tysnes over the last century.
However, the Norwegian government has committed to improving access to services and residential and labour markets.
Norway’s E39 highway runs between Kristiansand in the far south and Trondheim in the north through coastal cities including Stavanger, Bergen and Alesund and requires an incredible seven ferry crossings.
The new coastal highway project aims to eliminate the need for ferry services altogether by building a network of bridges and tunnels through the challenging landscape.
Many of the fjords are up to 1,300 metres deep and around a mile-and-a-half wide, meaning that traditional infrastructure methods were out of the question. As a result, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration is investigating new solutions (NPRA).
For example, Rogfast will be the first in a series of crossings that will link the E39, connecting Stavanger and Haugesund via a 16-mile undersea tunnel. Reaching up to 390 metres below sea level, it is set to become the longest and deepest undersea tunnel in the world.
The project will consist of two tunnels connected by emergency exits every 250 metres. It will also house lay-bys at 500-metre intervals, equipped with telephones and surveillance cameras.
It will also feature an underground tunnel junction that will connect the island municipality of Kvitsoy to the mainland.
Work began in 2018 and the project is set to be completed by 2026 at a cost of £1.6 billion.
The suspension bridge planned for Sognefjord – known as the “King of Fjords” and dubbed the most complex project of all – is also set to break records. Its 457-metre-high towers and impressive 3,688-metre-long span would surpass iconic structures like Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Millau Viaduct in France.
Bjornafjord, meanwhile, located to the south of Bergen, stands over three miles wide and reaches depths of 600 metres. To cross this challenging stretch of water, a floating bridge proposal has been put forward, anchored to the shore at both ends.
Engineers must also account for the large number of ships and cruises that regularly enter the fjord. Any crossing must allow for a clear shipping lane at least 400 metres wide, 70 metres above sea level, and 20 metres below.
Proposals include a 3,700-metre suspension bridge that would almost double the length of the world’s current longest bridge and eclipse the height of the Millau Viaduct’s supporting towers.
The vast coastal motorway project in Norway, which thanks to its significant oil reserves is one of the world’s richest countries, is set to become a benchmark for future infrastructure projects around the world.
