Route Description
The Triangle Link is part of two routes, European Route E39 and County Road 542. The section from Stord to Sveio, including the Stord Bridge and the Bømlafjord Tunnel, is part of E39—the Coastal Highway—which runs along the west coast of Norway. The section from the interchange on Føyno, including the Bøla Bridge and the Spissøy Bridge, is on County Road 542. The link acts both as a mainland connection for Stord and Bømlo to the mainland at Sveio, as well as a link between the two island communities, which have a combined population of 30,000.
The Bømlafjord Tunnel is a 7,860-meter (25,790 ft) long subsea tunnel which crosses Bømlafjorden. It is 11 meters (36 ft) wide, 4.7 meters (15 ft) tall and reaches 260.4 meters (854 ft) below mean sea level. The tunnel has three lanes, one downhill and two uphill, with the direction of the extra lane switching at the bottom. When it opened, it was the longest and second-deepest subsea tunnel in Europe. Stord Bridge is a suspension bridge which crosses Digernessundet, connecting Stord with Føyno. It is 1,077 meters (3,533 ft) long and has a main span (distance between the pylons, or towers) of 677 meters (2,221 ft). The bridge is 13.5 meters (44 ft) wide and has a clearance of 18 meters (59 ft). It has two 97-meter (318 ft) tall pylons, one foundationed on Digernesklubben and one on Føyno. The pylons were built in concrete, while the deck is built as 19 in steel sections, each 36 meters (118 ft) long and weighing 150 tonnes (150 long tons; 170 short tons). Stord Bridge has the second-longest span in Norway, after the Askøy Bridge.
Bømla Bridge is a suspension bridge which crosses Spissøysundet, connecting Spissøy and Nautøya. It is 998 meters (3,274 ft) long and has a main span of 577 meters (1,893 ft). The bridge is 13 meters (43 ft) wide and has a clearance of 36 meters (118 ft). The higher clearance was built to allow ship traffic which runs through Nyleia between Bømlo and Stord to continue to run. The bridge has two 105-meter (344 ft) tall pylons, one foundationed on Brunsholmen and one on Spissøy. The bridge has a similar aesthetically design to the Stord Bridge, and also features a steel deck with concrete pylons. It has the fifth-longest span in Norway. Spissøy Bridge is a beam bridge which crosses Gassasundet, connecting Bømlo with Spissøy. It is 283 meters (928 ft) long, consists of five spans and has a clearance of 7 meters (23 ft).
The fixed link project also includes 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) of highway. On Stord, E39 received a new two-lane, limited-access road from Meatjørn to the bridge. This included a new grade separated (two-level) interchange in the southern part of Leirvik and a culvert—the Digernes Tunnel—immediately before the bridge. In Sveio, the link included 800 meters (2,600 ft) of new limited-access road from the tunnel to a grade-separated interchange at Dalshovda. In Bømlo, there was a new road built across the islands of Spissøy and Nautøy—including an intersection on Spissøy. It further consisted of a new section of road from the Bømlo side of Spissøy Bridge at Gassasundet to Røyksund, and from Gassasundet to Grøvle, including a new tunnel through Stokkajuvet. A combined pedestrian and bicycle path runs along the whole section between Stord and Bømlo, with a grass division on the land parts between the road and the path. Underpasses and walls were built with natural stone.
The tolls are collected at a toll plaza located on Føyno. The plaza is constructed as a grade-separated intersection, so that any car passes through the plaza once. However, traffic only traveling between Føyno to Bømlo does not have to pay. Cars driving along E39 drive straight ahead through the plaza, while cars to or from Bømlo need to use the interchange. There is also an intersection allowing access to the island. The plaza has six lanes, of which two in each direction have a toll booth and one in each direction has an automatic collection. The toll station uses the Autopass toll collection, which allows passage without stopping, in addition to manual collection. Passengers, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcyclists and mopeds are free. As of 2011, the fees are NOK 85 for cars and NOK 270 for trucks. Frequent travelers can prepay for at least 40 passings to the toll company, and receive a 40 percent discount.
Read more about this topic: Triangle Link
Famous quotes containing the words route and/or description:
“By whatever means it is accomplished, the prime business of a play is to arouse the passions of its audience so that by the route of passion may be opened up new relationships between a man and men, and between men and Man. Drama is akin to the other inventions of man in that it ought to help us to know more, and not merely to spend our feelings.”
—Arthur Miller (b. 1915)
“An intentional object is given by a word or a phrase which gives a description under which.”
—Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (b. 1919)