Lofoten Mainland Connection

The road Lofast ( Norwegian: Lofoten fastlandsforbindelse ) is part of the European Route 10 and connects the islands of Lofoten with the Norwegian mainland. Through the construction of tunnels and bridges that connection completely without ferries. The range is from Fiskebøl on Austvågøy to Gullesfjord on Hinnøya where the Lofast on the bisherig already existing road link Sortland - expanded encounters Narvik, 51 km long and continuous two-lane.

The Storting had decided in 1989 to build the Lofast. Construction began in 1993, after discussions on the route ( in conversation was, among others, an 8 km long tunnel under the Hadselfjord between Melbu Fiskebøl ). On 19 December 1997, the first section of the road from Fiskebol to Myrland could be released for the transport, on 15 October 1998 was followed by the Raftsundbrua, the bridge over the known Raftsund that separates the Lofoten Islands of the archipelago of Vesteralen. After an interruption of the work until 2003, the entire connection was opened on 1 December 2007. It shortens since the route from Svolvær, the capital of Lofoten, Narvik from 272 to 238 km. The Lofoten Islands are thus integrated consistently without ferry connections to Å i Lofoten on the island Moskenesøy in the West in the Norwegian road network.

Bridges and Tunnels

For the Lofast numerous bridges and tunnels were built, almost 30 % of the route is underground or submarine. The main bridges and tunnels of Lofast are ( from west to east):

• Sea Tunnel: Sløverfjordtunnelen (length 3340 m) below Sløverfjord between the islands Arnoya and Holdøy - 112 meters below sea level
• Tunnel: Falkfjord Tunnelen ( 396 m)
• Tunnel: Myrlandstunnelen (1910 m)
• Bridge: Raftsundbrua (711 m)
• Tunnel: Raftsundtunnelen ( 1570 m )
• Tunnel: Storåtunnelen ( 210 m)
• Tunnel: Ingelsfjordtunnelen (1310 m)
• Bridge: Vester traumas bru (305 m)
• Bridge: Auster traumas bru (196 m)
• Tunnel: Sørdalstunnelen ( 6338 m)