European route E134

E134 shield

E134
Route information
Length: 420 km (260 mi)
Major junctions
West end: Karmøy
East end: Drammen
Location
Countries: Norway
Highway system
International E-road network
Folgefonna seen from E 134, near Røldal

European highway E 134 (Norwegian: Europavei 134) is a European highway that crosses Norway starting near the town of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over the Hardangervidda mountain plateau, and ending near the city of Drammen, near the national capital of Oslo.

With the highest point at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, the road is sensitive to snow conditions and foul weather during the winter season, during which the mountainous sections may be closed in short periods. The stretch of road through the mountains is called Haukelifjell.

Route

Rogaland county, Norway

Hordaland county, Norway

Telemark county, Norway

Buskerud county, Norway

History

A road over the mountain along this route was opened first time in 1889. In 1968, the Haukeli Tunnel (5.6 km (3.5 mi)) was opened allowing reliable wintertime traffic.

The road was numbered as European route E76 before 1992, when the numbering system of all of the European routes in the Nordic countries was revised. Initially, there was not room for it in the system, and road became called Norwegian National Road 11 (Riksvei 11). Due to local wishes and steadily increasing of the road standard during the 1990s, it again received European route status, with the number E 134.

The route has many tunnels, especially in the mountainous sections in the central and western parts, especially along the Åkrafjorden, where is passes the Langfossen waterfall. Prior to the opening of the tunnels, some of the fjord sections of the road were quite steep and very narrow; around 5 metres (16 ft) wide. This was far less than the 8.5-metre (28 ft) minimum requirement for European routes, and well below the minimum requirement to allow two trucks to pass. During the 2010s, a new series of upgrades has been planned to further improve the road in the Seljord-Hjartdal area as well as in Vindafjord.

Places of interest

The highway runs near several places of interest:

Road conditions

When driving along the road, one may see many of the following words on signs:

References

  1. ↑ "E134 Skjoldavik-Solheim" (in Norwegian). Statens vegvesen.
  2. ↑ "E134 Gvammen-Århus" (in Norwegian). Statens vegvesen.
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