hardangerbridgePhoto: Geir Brekke, www.vegvesen.no

The first construction works on the Hardanger bridge started in March 2009, and now the final opening date has been announced as August 17th this year. As a result of the opening, the operation of the car ferry between Brimnes and Bruravik is scheduled to phase out. The bridge towers are over 200m above the fjord, and the span is 1310m long, making it the same size as the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransisco, USA. With the bridge, the route between Oslo and Bergen (Route 40) is shortened by 20 minutes, and becomes connected all the way without ferry. This is a very welcome news for us, as it makes both the tour programs shorter and more stable in the future.

Update 1st of August: http://mikinordic.wordpress.com