The Lysefjord Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing the mouth of the Lysefjord. It opened on 18 December 1997 after four years of construction, at a cost of around 150 million kroner.
You might wonder why this bridge exists at all, since all roads on the south side are dead ends. The answer is hydropower. The village of Forsand had about 1,000 inhabitants who depended on ferries to reach the outside world. Plans for a permanent crossing started as early as 1975, but the project only became affordable when the Tjodan hydropower plant opened in 1985. The revenues from that plant helped Forsand municipality push the project forward.
The bridge is 639 metres long with a main span of 446 metres between the two 102-metre tall concrete towers. The deck sits about 50 metres above sea level, leaving enough clearance for the tourist ferries that sail underneath on their way to Lysebotn.
In 1999, the bridge won the Vakre Vegers Pris, the Beautiful Roads Award, for how well it fits into the landscape.