Salhusfjorden
Encyclopedia
Salhusfjorden is a 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long fjord
and sound between Bergen
and Meland
in Hordaland
, Norway
. To the west, it starts between Salhus and Frekhaug
, where Byfjorden meets Herdlefjorden. To the east, the fjord ends between Knarvik
and Hordvikneset, where Osterfjorden
runs northeast, while Sørfjorden runs southeast. The fjord is up to 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) deep. It acts as one of the borders between Midhordland
to the south and Nordhordland
to the north.
Salhusfjorden is crossed by the Nordhordland Bridge
, a 1614 metres (5,295.3 ft) combined pontoon
and cable stayed
bridge
. Because of the depth, the bridge lacks lateral anchorage. The bridge, which carries European Route E39
, was opened on 22 September 1994. It is the second-longest bridge in Norway.
The fjord takes its name from Salhus, which during the Viking Age
during the early 12the century an inn (known at the time as a sáluhus), which would give name to the place. It acted as a transport hub for Nordhordland, and was a small market town. It was one of the first industrialized places when a hosiery manufacture was established in 1859.
Previously, there were two ferry crossings of Salhusfjorden, From 7 July 1936, a ferry service ran between Isdalstø
and Steinestø. In 1956, the ferry on the Nordhordland side moved to Knarvik
, and it was the most trafficked ferry service in the country before the bridge opened in 1994. At first operated by Fergetrafikk, from 1967 it was run by Bergen Nordhordland Rutelag
. Until 1984, there was also a ferry crossing between Salhus and Frekhaug, operated by the same company.
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
and sound between Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
and Meland
Meland
Meland is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway.-History:The municipality is named after the farm of Meland. The norse name of the farm was "Meðalland"...
in Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, 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...
. To the west, it starts between Salhus and Frekhaug
Frekhaug
Frekhaug is the administrative centre of Meland municipality, Norway. The population of the urban area Frekhaug, which also encompasses Vikane, is 1,602 ....
, where Byfjorden meets Herdlefjorden. To the east, the fjord ends between Knarvik
Knarvik
Knarvik is the administrative centre in the municipality of Lindås and the largest town in the region of Nordhordland, Norway. It had 4,265 inhabitants as of 2005....
and Hordvikneset, where Osterfjorden
Osterfjorden
Osterfjorden is one of three fjords surrounding the island Osterøy.The fiord runs between Lindås and Osterøy and is 27 km long, 1-3 km wide. The largest depth is 639 m....
runs northeast, while Sørfjorden runs southeast. The fjord is up to 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) deep. It acts as one of the borders between Midhordland
Midhordland
Midhordland , is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, consisting of the central portion of the county of Hordaland...
to the south and Nordhordland
Nordhordland
Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, consisting of the northern portion of the county of Hordaland. It includes the municipalities Austrheim, Fedje, Lindås, Masfjorden, Meland, Modalen, Osterøy, Radøy and Vaksdal....
to the north.
Salhusfjorden is crossed by the Nordhordland Bridge
Nordhordland Bridge
The Nordhordland Bridge is a combined cable-stayed and pontoon bridge which crosses Salhusfjorden between Klauvaneset and Flatøy in Hordaland, Norway. It is long, of which the pontoon section is long. The cable-stayed section consists of a single tall H-pylon which has a length of and a main...
, a 1614 metres (5,295.3 ft) combined pontoon
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
and cable stayed
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. Because of the depth, the bridge lacks lateral anchorage. The bridge, which carries European Route E39
European route E39
E 39 is the designation of a 1330 km long north-south road in Norway and Denmark, running from Klett just south of Trondheim to Aalborg, via Orkanger, Vinjeøra, Halsa ... Straumsnes, Krifast, Batnfjordsøra, Molde ... Vestnes, Skodje, Ålesund ... Volda ... Nordfjordeid ... Sandane, Førde,...
, was opened on 22 September 1994. It is the second-longest bridge in Norway.
The fjord takes its name from Salhus, which during the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
during the early 12the century an inn (known at the time as a sáluhus), which would give name to the place. It acted as a transport hub for Nordhordland, and was a small market town. It was one of the first industrialized places when a hosiery manufacture was established in 1859.
Previously, there were two ferry crossings of Salhusfjorden, From 7 July 1936, a ferry service ran between Isdalstø
Isdalstø
Isdalstø is a village in Lindås, Norway. Located north of Knarvik, it was a central hub for ferry traffic until the 1970s....
and Steinestø. In 1956, the ferry on the Nordhordland side moved to Knarvik
Knarvik
Knarvik is the administrative centre in the municipality of Lindås and the largest town in the region of Nordhordland, Norway. It had 4,265 inhabitants as of 2005....
, and it was the most trafficked ferry service in the country before the bridge opened in 1994. At first operated by Fergetrafikk, from 1967 it was run by Bergen Nordhordland Rutelag
Bergen Nordhordland Rutelag
Bergen Nordhordland Rutelag is a Norwegian company based in Hordaland. The company operates a small fleet of ferries.-History:BNR It has roots back to 1880 when Lindaas-Masfjorden Dampskibsselskap was created. The company was founded in 1974 when Bergen-Nordhordland Trafikklag, Indre Nordhordland...
. Until 1984, there was also a ferry crossing between Salhus and Frekhaug, operated by the same company.