European route E39

Trondheim

• E6 Fv707 Klett junction
• Udduvoll bru

Melhus

• Semi-motorway Øysand-Thamshavn/Orkanger (22 km)
• 2 Toll stations at Øysand/Buvika and Thamshavn

Skaun

Orkland

• Rv65 Orkanger

Heim

• ferry from Halsa to Kanestraum in Tingvoll (20 minutes, fee)

Halsa ferry dock

Tingvoll

• Bergsøysund Bridge 931 m

Gjemnes

• Gjemnessund Bridge 1257 m

Gjemnessund Bridge

Molde

• Molde Airport, Årø
• Rv64→ Fannefjordstunnelen direction Åndalsnes
• ferry from Molde to Vestnes (Furnes dock, 35 minutes)

Vestnes

• E136 at Skorgenes, jointly with E39 until Spjelkavika

Ålesund

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

Roundabout in Ålesund

Sula

• ferry from Solavågen to Festøya in Ørsta (20 minutes, fee)

Ørsta

• Fv655 Ørsta

Volda

• Fv653 Furene → Eiksund tunnel
• New route without ferry Volda-Fyrde-Grodås-Nordfjordeid
• Kviven Tunnel, 6,490 metres (21,290 ft)

E39 bend at Anda near Sandane Airport

Stad

• Rv15 at Leivdøla bridge, jointly with E39 until Nordfjordeid

Gloppen

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

Nordfjord and E39 ferry Lote-Anda

• Rv60 at Byrkjelo

Sunnfjord

• Rv5 jointly with E39 from Skei to Førde
• Rv13 at Moskog
• Rv5 Førde
• Førde airport
• Rv57 at Espeland

Høyanger

• Rv55 at Vadheim
• Bogstunnelen (3,482 m)
• Lavik
• ferry from Lavik to Ytre Oppedal (20 min, 1-2 departures per hour, fee)

Gulen

• Ytre Oppedal
• Skrikebergtunnelen (1500 m)
• Jernfjelltunnelen (2 391 m)

Masfjorden

• Matreberg Tunnel (1352 m)
• Masfjord Tunnel (4110 m)

Alver

• Eikefet Tunnel (4910 m)
• Mundalsberg Tunnel (1085 m)
• Rv57 at Knarvik
• Hagelsund Bridge (623 m)

Hagelsund Bridge

• Nordhordland Bridge (Nordhordlandsbrua) (1614 m)

Nordhordlandsbrua pontoon bridge at Bergen

Bergen

• E16 at Nyborg
• Motorway Vågsbotn – Eidsvåg (5 km)
• Fløyfjellstunnelen (two parallel tunnels, 3195 and 3825 m)
• Bergen
• 3 Toll stations at Sandviken, Nygårdsbroen and Fjøsangerveien
• Bergen Airport, Flesland

Bjørnafjorden

• Ferry from Halhjem to Sandvikvåg (40 min, 2 departures per hour, fee)

Fitjar

Stord

• Rv49 at Jektevik
• Stordabrua/Stord Bridge (1076 m)
• Bømlafjordtunnelen/Bømlafjord Tunnel (7888 m, 262 m below s.l.)

Sveio

Tysvær

• E134 At Aksdal

Bokn

• Ferry from Arsvågen to Mortavika

Stavanger

• Mastrafjordtunnelen (4424 m)
• Byfjordtunnelen (5875 m)

Randaberg

Stavanger

• 2 Toll stations at Randabergveien and Forus
• Motorway Schancheholen–Sandved (12 km)
• Stavanger Airport, Sola

Sandnes

Gjesdal

Bjerkreim

Eigersund

Lund

Vesterveien in Kristiansand

Flekkefjord

Kvinesdal

• Fedafjorden Bridge
• Vatlandtunnelen (3184 m)

Lyngdal

• Toll Handeland in Lyngdal

Lindesnes

• Kirkeheitunnelen (835 m)

Kristiansand

• Toll Vesterveien in Kristiansand
• E18 At Kristiansand
• E39 Hirtshals, Denmark (2-3 hours, 2-5 departures/day, fee)

The E39 ferries are operated by Fjord1 except the Volda-Folkestad ferry, which is operated by Norled.

Fjord1 ferry at Arsvågen dock.

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. 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.
• Solevåg–Festøya 20 min.
• Volda–Folkestad 10 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 in Norway with bridges and tunnels.[4] This involves some of the longest proposed bridge spans.

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)
• Mastrafjord Tunnel (1982)

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.

• A 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) motorway south of Bergen is under construction and expected to be finished in 2022.
• The world's deepest and longest underwater road tunnel, the 27-kilometre-long (17 mi) and 392-metre-deep (1,286 ft) Rogfast, was started (first blasting) in 2018 and is expected to be opened in 2028-29.
• The entire route from Stavanger to Kristiansand is planned to be rebuilt into motorway or semi-motorway before 2030.
• There are plans to replace every ferry link with a fixed connection, but each presents a costly technical challenge as the fjords are wide and very deep, so the plans are controversial and uncertain (except Rogfast).[6]