What is the longest road tunnel in the world?

The Lærdal Tunnel in Norway is the world’s longest road tunnel. It runs for 24.51 kilometres between Lærdal and Aurland in Vestland County.

The tunnel carries two lanes of the E16 highway and was built to improve the main road connection between Oslo and Bergen. Construction began in 1995, and the tunnel opened on 27 November 2000. Its completion reduced the need for ferry journeys and difficult mountain crossings on the route.

Driving through such a long enclosed space can be tiring, so engineers divided the tunnel into four sections with three large mountain caverns. These chambers are illuminated with blue and yellow lighting designed to resemble daylight and give drivers a visual break. Emergency niches and turnaround areas are also built into the route.

The Lærdal Tunnel is sometimes confused with the Channel Tunnel, which is longer overall but is primarily a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is longer too, but it is a railway tunnel rather than a road tunnel.