Lofast
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Lofast (short for Lofotens fastlandsforbindelse, lit. Lofoten's connection to the mainland) is a part of the E10 road that connects the Norwegian archipelago Lofoten to the mainland of Norway, giving direct access to Lofoten from the surronding municipalties.[1]
The construction of this road was started autumn 1993, and temporarily shut down in 1998, when the first part was finished. It started up again in 2003, and Lofast was officially opened December 1 2007.
The E10 road from Lofoten to mainland Norway formerly went through the Vesterålen archipelago, with a ferry crossing from Melbu to Fiskebøl[2]. This road went through several towns, requiring low vehicle speeds and inefficient driving. The new Lofast road is a significantly shorter road connection across Hinnøya to the mainland that requires no ferry crossings and allows driving at relatively high speeds. For instance, the bus ride from Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes to Svolvær in Lofoten, which used to take 4 hours 15 minutes including a ferry trip (210 km), now takes only 3 hours incl. stops (170 km)[3]. This trip can even be as short as just over 2 hours if driven with a car without stops.
All the larger islands in Lofoten are already connected by bridges or undersea tunnels. This means that after the construction of Lofast most of Lofoten is now connected to the mainland of Norway. The Lofast uses several tunnels, the largest is Sørdalstunnelen (6.3 km) and there is also Sløverfjordtunnelen (3.3 km) and five more tunnels and a 700 m long bridge, Raftsund Bridge.
The final bridge crossing over to the mainland is, as before, Tjeldsund Bridge.
[edit] References
- ^ A news item from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, describing the history and significance of Lofast, in Norwegian:
- ^ The schedules for the ferry (in Norwegian)
- ^ The current bus schedule
