Norra länken (''The northern link'') is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

in Stockholm, Sweden, between the port of

Värtahamnen Värtahamnen is a port in Stockholm, Sweden. Värtahamnen and the adjacent Stockholm Free Port at Lilla Värtan is Stockholm's main port. Värtahamnen primarily serves passenger ferries for the shipping company Silja Line as well as freighters for ...

and

Karlberg Karlberg Palace () is a palace by the Karlberg Canal in Solna Municipality in Sweden, adjacent to Stockholm's Vasastaden district. The palace, built in 1630,Solna: Huvudsta today houses the Military Academy Karlberg. In the palace park are f ...

, where it connects to

Essingeleden Essingeleden is a motorway that goes from Solna to Stockholm, Sweden, crossing the westmost parts of central Stockholm, by going over Kungsholmen, Lilla Essingen, and Stora Essingen. Essingeleden has three bridges – Fredhällsbron (270 m), Essin ...

. The road is part of the

European route E20 European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia. Its length is but it is not continuous; at three points, a ...

and the incomplete Stockholm Ring Road. Norra länken is in length, of which are in tunnels. The part between Karlberg and Norrtull was opened in 1991, and the tunnel between Norrtull and Värtan was opened in 2014. The other parts of the ring road are the highly congested Essingeleden in the west, opened in 1966,

Södra länken Södra länken (''The southern link''), designated as national road 75 ( sv, Riksväg 75), is a motorway in Sweden connecting Essingeleden ( E4, E20), Stockholm with Värmdöleden (county road 222), Nacka. Södra länken is in length, of wh ...

in the south, opened in 2004, and Österleden in the east, where () plans have been canceled.

History

The part of Norra länken between Karlberg and Norrtull was finished and opened in 1991. As part of the Dennis Agreement (), a political agreement, the construction eastward of the remaining part to Värtahamnen was to be completed as well. The construction was cancelled in 1997 when the project was appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court which determined that the detail plan for the part between Norrtull and Roslagstull was in conflict with the law protecting the

Royal National City Park The Royal National City Park ( sv, Kungliga nationalstadsparken) is a national city park, established by the Riksdag in 1995, and located in the municipalities of Stockholm, Solna and Lidingö in Sweden. 1/ km²2/ Population per km² Gallery ...

. The political agreement was broken and it was uncertain whether the road project would be completed. The

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

and Stockholm Municipality agreed in 2002 on a new alignment between Norrtull and Roslagstull. The detail plan was again appealed, but the Supreme Administrative Court rejected the appeal on February 26, 2007, and construction resumed on May 11, 2007. The tunnel between Nortull and Värtahamnen was opened on November 30, 2014, and the total cost of the tunnel was 10.6 billion SEK. Entrances and exits have been placed at the areas of Norrtull, Roslagstull, Frescati, and Värtahamnen.

References

External links

Swedish Transport Administration page for Norra Länken
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Norra Lanken Roads in Sweden Transport in Stockholm