Kvalsaukan Bridge
Encyclopedia
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
county in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, on the road between Sortland
Sortland
is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare township for Sortland...
and Andøy
Andøy
Andøy is the northernmost municipality in Nordland county, Norway, and it belongs to the Vesterålen archipelago. The largest island in the municipality is Andøya. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andenes....
. The bridge is 425 metres long, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 8 metres.
Kvalsaukan Bridge was opened in 1975. It was one of 4 bridges that were built in the 1970s to connect the islands of Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...
to each other. The other bridges that were built during that period are Sortland Bridge
Sortland Bridge
Sortland Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Sortlandssundet between Strand on Hinnøya and the town of Sortland on Langøya in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge is 948 metres long, the main span is 150 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 30 metres. The bridge has 21...
, Andøy Bridge
Andøy Bridge
Andøy Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Risøysundet between Andøya and Hinnøya in Nordland county in Norway. The bridge is 750 metres long, the main span is 110 metres, and the maximum clearing to the sea is 30 metres. The bridge has 21 spans.Andøy Bridge was opened in 1974...
and Hadsel Bridge
Hadsel Bridge
Hadsel Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Langøysundet between Langøya and Børøya in Nordland county in Norway. Together with Børøy Bridge it connects Hadseløya and the town of Stokmarknes to Langøya. Hadsel Bridge is 1011 metres long, the main span is 150 metres, and the maximum...
. Together with Tjeldsund Bridge
Tjeldsund Bridge
The Tjeldsund Bridge is a suspension road bridge that crosses Tjeldsundet between the mainland and Hinnøya in Troms county in Norway. The bridge is 1007 metres long, the main span is 290 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 41 metres...
near Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
these bridges connect the islands of Vesterålen to the mainland. Kvalsaukan Bridge is the only of these 4 bridges that was never a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
.