Lærdal Tunnel
| Lærdal Tunnel | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Lærdal Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
| Location | Vestland, Norway |
| Coordinates | 60°58′19″N 07°22′06″E / 60.97194°N 7.36833°E |
| Route | E16 |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1995 |
| Opened | 27 November 2000 |
| Operator | Norwegian Public Roads Administration |
| Character | Road |
| Toll | None |
| Vehicles per day | 2,050 (2019) |
| Technical | |
| Length | 24.51 km (15.23 mi) |
| Operating speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| Highest elevation | 265 m (869 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Width | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Grade | 2.5% |
The Lærdal Tunnel (Norwegian: Lærdalstunnelen) is a 24.51-kilometre-long (15.23 mi) road tunnel connecting Lærdal Municipality and Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway; the southwest end of the tunnel is approximately 117 kilometres (73 mi) northeast of Bergen. It carries two lanes of the European Route E16 highway, and was the final link completing the main highway that now enables car travel between Oslo and Bergen with no ferry connections and no difficult mountain crossings during winter. It is the longest road tunnel in the world, followed by Tianshan Shengli Tunnel in Xinjiang, China and WestConnex in Sydney, Australia.