Lofoten Mainland Connection () or Lofast is a part of

European route E10 European route E10 is the second shortest Class A road which is part of the International E-road network. It begins in Å, Norway, and ends in Luleå, Sweden. The road is about in length. The Norwegian part of the road is also named Kong Ol ...

that connects the Norwegian

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...

to the mainland, giving direct access to Lofoten from the surrounding municipalities. Sloverfjordtunnel1

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. Actually Lofast connects Lofoten with the older road network on

Hinnøya Hinnøya ( Norwegian; ) is the fourth-largest island in Norway, and the largest outside the Svalbard archipelago. The lies just off the western coast of Northern Norway. The island sits on the border of Nordland and Troms counties. The western ...

which was already connected to the mainland. E10 from Lofoten to the mainland formerly went through the

Vesterålen Vesterålen ( , ; ) is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the a ...

archipelago, with the Melbu–Fiskebøl Ferry. This road went through several towns with uneven speed limits. Lofast is a significantly shorter road connection across

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 Harstad-Narvik Airport (; ) is an international airport located in Evenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The airport serves the towns of Harstad (town), Harstad and Narvik (town), Narvik. It is co-located with Evenes Air Station of t ...

Svolvær (Norwegian language, Norwegian, ), , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, alon ...

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). 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 Sørdal Tunnel (6.3 km) and there is also Sløverfjord Tunnel (3.3 km) and five more tunnels and a 700 m long

Raftsund Bridge The Raftsund Bridge () is a two-lane cantilever road bridge in Hadsel Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge carries the European route E10 highway and it crosses the Raftsundet strait between the islands of Austvågøya and Hinnøy ...

. The final bridge crossing from Hinnøya over to the mainland is with the previously existing

Tjeldsund Bridge The Tjeldsund Bridge () is a suspension road bridge that crosses the Tjeldsundet strait between the mainland and the island of Hinnøya in Troms county, Norway. The bridge is long, the main span is , and the maximum clearance to the sea is . The ...

. Later has planning started about improving the road from Lofast eastern end at Gullesfjordbotn to near the Harstad/Narvik Airport. This will include multiple mountain tunnels and an undersea tunnel under the

Tjeldsundet Tjeldsundet ( Norwegian; ) is a strait in Northern Norway. The long strait is located between the island of Hinnøya and mainland Norway in its northern part and between Hinnøya and the island of Tjeldøya in its southern part. Tjeldsundet has ...

strait, and shorten the distance by 35 km and the drive time by 30 minutes. This is expected to be finished by 2030.Hålogalandsvegen
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References

{{Authority control Roads in Nordland Lofoten European route E10 in Norway