County Road 55 | |
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Bokmål: Fylkesvei 55 Nynorsk: Fylkesveg 55 | |
Route information | |
Length | 248.1 km (154.2 mi) |
Location | |
Country | Norway |
Highway system | |
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County Road 55 (Norwegian: Fylkesvei 55) is a 248.1-kilometer-long (154.2 mi) highway which runs between the municipalities of Lom and Høyanger in Norway. The 108-kilometer (67 mi) section across Sognefjellet, known as Sognefjellsvegen, is designated a National Tourist Route.[1][2] Also a short section at Balestrand is a National Tourist Route.[3][4] The road reaches the highest elevation on the public road network in Norway, 1,434 meters (4,705 ft), and it is closed every winter.
Prior to 2010, the road was part of National Road 55 (Norwegian: Riksvei 55). The road has importance as part of the shortest route between Trondheim and Bergen, 636 kilometers (395 mi), including a ferry. Usually a faster route is used, like those including Road 51 (663 km, also closed in winter, no ferry), road 15 (701 km, one ferry, used by express buses), or European route E39 (671 km, four ferries). Local politicians lobby for two tunnels under the mountains, totalling around 50 kilometers (31 mi).[5] This would create a winter open and ferry free road between Trondheim and Bergen much shorter than present alternatives.