Motorvei

Motorvei (alt. motorveg) is the Norwegian term for Motorway.

There are few motorways in Norway, and most of them are located in densely populated areas, including the south-eastern parts of Norway (Østlandet) and areas near major cities like Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger. With few exceptions, all the motorways in Norway are European routes, but some is also classified as riksvei (the term used for National roads).

However, the motorway network is being continuously extended. There are current on-going project to build motorways extending north, south-east and south-west of the capital city, Oslo, in addition to smaller project around other cities. The Norwegian part of a motorway between Oslo and the Swedish major city Gothenburg was completed in August 2009 [1] (the Swedish part will be completed in 2012 [2]).

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has documented a significant need to improve the standards of Norwegian highways, including building more motorways [3]. However, it will take several decades to complete the upgrades needed. In Spring 2006 it was decided to accord more money into roads in the State Budget.

Speed limits

Norway does not have a default speed for Motorways, but the maximum speed is 100 km/h, even though some of the newer ones are designed for 120 km/h.