The Røldal Tunnel is a
road tunnel
A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...
in
Ullensvang Municipality
Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd, ...
in
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The tunnel is part of the
European route E134
European route E134 () is a International E-road network, European highway that crosses Norway starting at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in V ...
highway and it connects the village of
Horda in the
Røldal
Røldal is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the Røldal valley along the Storelva river on the north end of the lake Røldalsvatnet. Røldal is located about southeast of the town of ...
area with the
Seljestad area on the other side of the mountains to the west. The tunnel was opened on 21 February 1964 and for four years after its opening, it was the longest road tunnel in Norway (until the
Haukeli Tunnel opened). The (much shorter)
Seljestad Tunnel is located west of the entrance to the Røldal Tunnel.
In recent years, construction has begun on a new
Røldal Tunnel as part of a broader project to upgrade the E134 highway between western and eastern Norway. This new tunnel aims to enhance traffic safety and capacity by replacing the aging original tunnel, which has become increasingly inadequate for modern transportation demands. The project, undertaken by contractors such as Metrostav Norge, involves advanced engineering techniques to navigate the challenging mountainous terrain. Once completed, the new tunnel will provide a more reliable and efficient route for both local and transit traffic across the region.
[https://www.haukelivegen.no/nye-roldalstunnelen]
References
Ullensvang
Road tunnels in Vestland
{{Norway-tunnel-stub