Europaväg 4
The Europaväg 4 ( Swedish for, European route E4 ') is a Swedish highway and the longer part of the European route E4 . It runs from Helsingborg past Stockholm to Haparanda (border with Finland), where it merges into the Finnish state road 29. With a total length of 1,589 km, the E4 is the second longest road in Sweden after the E45 .
course
Helsingborg - Mjölby
The motorway begins in Helsingborg and runs northeast from there. First it runs past the Helsingborg Södra interchange ( E6 , E20 and Länsväg 109 ) before reaching the Kropp interchange (also E6 and E20). Between the two motorway junctions, the E4 runs along the same route as the E6 and E20. After leaving Helsingborg, road users will first find a stretch of concrete pavement before a somewhat newer section of motorway follows behind Åstorp . The section at Örkelljunga was completed in the 2000s and, like most Swedish motorways completed at that time, is very much adapted to nature and provided with guard rails.
There is an even newer section near Markaryd , which is similar to the one at Örkelljunga with the difference that special wire fences are used there instead of guard rails . This is not unusual in Scandinavia. On this section the motorway runs over the Laganbron.
Further outside of Ljungby , the road has been expanded in the 2 + 1 system . This state of development was used on many motorways in the 1990s. Nowadays this no longer corresponds to the standard parameters , and the road was downgraded to a motor road ( motortrafikled ) in the early 2000s .
Between Toftaholm and Värnamo the road runs through an above-average forested landscape. Before Jönköping begins an older section that was completed in the 1960s. At this point it crosses Riksväg 40 in the Ljungarum cross. The entire section between Jönköping and Huskvarna is equipped with lighting . The motorway then runs along the Vättern . There the E4 runs 280 meters above sea level, making it the highest motorway in Northern Europe. There is also the Brahehus rest area (270 m above sea level), which offers a beautiful view over Lake Vättern. Past the lake, the road continues towards Ödeshög. The route from Jönköping to Ödeshög is considered to be one of the most beautiful roads in Sweden. To the north of Ödeshög is a section of the motorway that was completed in the late 1990s. The route from Väderstad to Mjölby is an older section of the motorway that was rebuilt in the 1990s.
Mjölby - Stockholm
After Mjölby , the motorway continues through flat land, where it is straight. In Linköping , the two roads Riksväg 34 and Riksväg 35 cross the E4 at the Linköping Västra and Linköping Östra motorway junctions. At Norsholm , the E4 crosses the Göta Canal and then continues to Norsholm, where the E22 joins the E4. Passing the north-western outskirts of the city, you continue on a route built in the 1960s. In Norsholm the motorway is illuminated again.
In Södermanland the older road merges into a newer road section. This section near Stavsjö was completed in 1994. The motorway there is very wide so that in some places you cannot see the oncoming traffic at all. An older section begins in Nyköping , which can be seen from the old and sometimes narrow bridges. It was opened in 1961. The exits are also built pretty tight like the whole route, which is why there are always traffic accidents. A speed limit of 90 km / h was introduced in this area for safety and against the increasing number of traffic accidents. Most serious fatal road accidents occurred in the winter of 2009/2010.
To the north of Södertälje, you drive through a stretch of road built in the 1950s, which was not planned as a motorway at the time. Only in 1964 was it upgraded to a motorway without intensive expansion measures. The motorway section leads through the mountains and deep valleys, which means that it is provided with some curves at this point. The E4 continues through Salem to Stockholm .
Stockholm - Gävle
In Stockholm the motorway runs past Fittja until it becomes six lanes after Hallunda. After the Vastertorp junction (connection with Södra Länken ), the E4 runs through the center of Stockholm, where it has eight lanes in many places. It runs there together with the Essingeleden and is the busiest road in Sweden. In Stockholm, the E4 is also exceptionally lit: the lamps are attached to ropes, similar to normal streets, and hang in the middle of each lane. The Essingeleden goes over a number of bridges such as the Gröndalsbron , Essingebron and through the Fredhällstunneln .
After the Eugenia tunnel, the Essingeleden ends and the E4 continues together with the Uppsalavägen . The area between Essingeleden and Uppsalavägen was opened to traffic in the 1990s. Before that, the traffic was on a narrow street, completed in 1971, through downtown Stockholm. Parts of the Uppsalavägen were opened in stages. The first was opened to traffic in the 1950s. At Järva Krog the E18 crosses the E4.
The motorway then runs through Upplands Väsby towards Märsta and Arlanda . At the Arlanda interchange there is a connection with Länsväg 273 to Stockholm / Arlanda Airport . After Märsta, the highway lighting ends after it started in Södertälje. A motorway that is illuminated over such a length is otherwise only found in the Netherlands , Belgium and Great Britain . The two lanes between Marsta and Uppsala are, similar to Nyköping, very far apart. This section was opened in the 1970s and is straight with slight curves.
South of Uppsala at the Säby junction, the E4 crosses the Tycho Hedéns väg , the former route of the E4. In 2006 the new route of the E4 was completed. There is a very modern track that is equipped with the latest lighting. A museum railway also crosses the motorway near Uppsala.
The lighting ends north of Uppsala and the motorway runs past Storvreta over Fyrisån . The line between Uppsala and Björklinge was inaugurated on December 21, 2006, the section between Björklinge and Mehedeby was opened to traffic on October 17, 2007. The opening of the motorway has significantly improved the traffic situation in the area, especially on Tycho Hedéns väg. The section between Mehedeby and Gävle has a fairly wide median. This route was initially built as a country road in the 1970s and runs across largely uninhabited forest areas. In 1995 a second carriageway was built next to the existing route and was thus expanded into a motorway.
Gävle - Finnish border
Shortly after Gävle the motorway ends and the E4 continues in the 2 + 1 lane system without intersections as a car road. From Hudiksvall there are also junctions on the route. Between Söderhamn and Enånger , the route was the first four-lane road in Sweden. It was not originally planned as a motor road, but was upgraded in 1999. A short stretch of motorway follows between Sundsvall and Timrå , which was opened to traffic in 1960. Then the E4 follows as a car road in the 2 + 1 system.
The E4 continues to Härnösand , where it goes over the Högakustenbrücke. From this place to the state border, the road is highway-like and also going on with grade- crossing points . In Västerbotten County, especially around Umeå, a maximum speed of 110 km / h is permitted. The stretch between Stöcksjö and Umeå should actually be classified as a motorway. However, this is prevented by three roundabouts on the route.
Between Piteå and Bertnäs , the E4 is once again signposted as a motorway, making it Sweden's northernmost motorway. Actually, the section should be built as a motor road, as it was decided in parliament that no motorway should be built north of Sundsvall. In Luleå the junction Notviken, one of the northernmost motorway junctions of Europe lies.
history
The road goes back to Riksvägar 1 ( Riksettan - section from Helsingborg to Stockholm) and 13 ( Rikstretton - section between Stockholm and Haparanda) established in 1945 . In 1962 these two roads were merged to form the E4.
