European route E16

E16
E16
Route information
Length	1,180 km (730 mi)
Major junctions
West end	Derry (Northern Ireland)
East end	Gävle (Sweden)
Location
Countries	United Kingdom; Norway; Sweden
Highway system
	International E-road network; A Class; B Class;

54°59′38″N 7°19′34″W / 54.994°N 7.326°W / 54.994; -7.326

European route E 16 is the designation of a main west-east road through Northern Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden, from Derry to Gävle, via Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, previously by ferry to Bergen, Voss, through the Gudvanga Tunnel and the Lærdal Tunnel (the world's longest road tunnel), Lærdal, over Filefjell to Fagernes, Hønefoss, Gardermoen and Kongsvinger. In Sweden it passes Malung, Falun and ends in Gävle.^[1]

United Kingdom

In Northern Ireland, it follows the A6 from Derry to Randalstown, then the M22 and M2 to Belfast. In Scotland it follows the A8 from Greenock, then the M8 from Bishopton through Glasgow to Edinburgh (using the A8 again for the section between junctions 8 and 6 of the M8).

E16 meets the E01 and E18 in Belfast, the E5 in Glasgow, the E15 in Edinburgh. European routes are not signposted in the UK. There is no ferry any more between the United Kingdom and Norway.

Norway

The E16 is the main road between Norway's two largest cities Oslo and Bergen, and the only mountain pass between Oslo and Bergen that is rarely closed due to snowstorms and blizzards (it goes below the tree line). Outside winter, route 7 is at least as popular between Oslo and Bergen, since it is shorter. There are some other options such as the road through Hemsedal. The E16 is narrow on many places in Norway, although upgrades are being built.

E16 is 630 kilometres (390 mi) long in Norway. E16 meets the European route E39 in Bergen and the European route E6 at Gardermoen.

Sweden

E16 is 360 kilometres (220 mi) long in Sweden. E16 connected to the European route E45 between Torsby and Malung, and European route E4 in Gävle. There is no customs control at the Norway-Sweden border (but there is video surveillance), meaning that transports needing to be declared for customs, including most lorries, is not allowed to use E16 at the border.

History

The road number E16 was introduced in Norway in 1992, between Bergen and Oslo. It was called E68 before that.

In 2011 it was decided to extend E16 from the Oslo region eastwards through Kongsvinger, Torsby, Malung, Borlänge to Gävle in Sweden.^[2]^[3] The signposting took place autumn 2012.