Norwegian National Road 7 ( no, Riksvei 7, ) is a
national road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
which runs from the town of
Hønefoss in
Viken county to the village of
Granvin in
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the cit ...
county. The route is long and runs east–west through Viken and Vestland counties over the vast
Hardangervidda plateau.
The road begins at the
European route E16 highway just south of
Heradsbygda in
Ringerike municipality and runs through the
Sogna river valley to the village of
Sokna (this part is called the ''Soknedalsveien''). It then continues further on to Hamremoen and up along the east side of the lake
Krøderen to
Gulsvik where it crosses the river and then follows the
Hallingdalen
Hallingdal ( en, Halling Valley) is a valley as well as a traditional district located in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county in Norway. It consists of six municipalities: Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.
H ...
valley through
Flå,
Nesbyen,
Gol,
Torpo,
Ål,
Hol
Hol is a municipality in Viken county, Norway.
Administrative history
The area of Hol was separated from the municipality Ål in 1877 to become a separate municipality. In 1937 a part of neighboring Uvdal with 220 inhabitants moved to Hol munic ...
, and
Geilo (this part is called the ''Hallingdalsveien''). From there, the road begins its path across the
Hardangervidda plateau via
Ustaoset
Ustaoset is a village in Hol municipality, Buskerud, Norway. It is located on Norwegian National Road 7 (''Riksvei 7''). Ustaoset is situated above sea level and is the finish for the cross country ski event Skarverennet.
Ustaoset first came t ...
and
Haugastøl, passing the
Vøringsfossen waterfall while descending down through 4 tunnels (including the 1,893-meter
Måbø Tunnel
The Måbø Tunnel ( no, Måbøtunnelen) is a tunnel along Norwegian National Road 7 in the municipality of Eidfjord in Vestland county, Norway.
The tunnel is the longest of the four tunnels in the Måbø Valley. It was completed in 1984 and was ...
) into the
Måbødalen valley in
Eidfjord. The road follows the
Eid Fjord for a ways before crossing the
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icel ...
via the
Hardanger Bridge (opened in 2013 - there was a ferry here prior to that time). The road continues through the
Vallavik Tunnel before reaching its terminus at the village of
Granvin in
Voss Municipality
Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Opph ...
. The portion of the road from Haugestøl to Eidfjord (over the Hardangervidda plateau) is designated a
National Tourist Route.
Improvements
In June 2014, a long stretch of new road was opened in
Ringerike-
Krødsherad
Krødsherad (''Krødsherad kommune'') is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipali ...
. Compared to the old road, it includes some long tunnels, is less curved, and shortens the journey between
Sokna and
Ørgenvika. The
Hardanger Bridge (opened in 2013) also shortened the travel time, making Road 7 the fastest option for travelling Oslo–Bergen by road.
There are also some unofficial proposals to build a long tunnel under the
Hardangervidda plateau,
because this stretch is often closed due to snow storms in the winter.
References
007
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
Roads in Vestland
Roads in Viken
National Tourist Routes in Norway
{{Norway-road-stub