For many hundreds of years, Northern Norway was outside most of the country’s road construction. While southern Norway in the 1600-1700s got its first “king’s roads”, which were drivable roads built by the state to connect cities and trading posts, in the north there were almost no drivable roads at all. It was not until the 1800s, with the Road Laws of 1824 and 1851, that national requirements for road development were introduced, but by then Northern Norway was already far behind. Heavy geographical conditions, and low population density meant that road construction was expensive and not given much priority.
The Road Act of 1824 set requirements for road standards: main roads had to be five metres wide, while rural roads could be narrower. The costs were mainly to be covered by the county through which the road passed. This hit the rural areas hard and Northern Norway the hardest. While counties in the south and east built roads by horse and cart, villages in Troms and Finnmark still had to make do with sledges and sea roads. There was no permanently drivable national road between north and south until the late 1900s.
In the 1930s, the Depression changed things. The economic crisis led to high unemployment throughout the country, but especially in rural areas. As a countermeasure, road construction was used as emergency work. Local committees and municipal councils took the initiative, and the state contributed with financial support. In Gratangen, a separate road committee was established in 1930 under the leadership of Lieutenant Erling Willassen. In a few months, several new stretches of road were built, mostly with the help of volunteer efforts and manual labour. At the same time, similar projects were taking place in Narvik, where the so-called “mountain road” was built. Over 3500 cars had used the road by 1937, and it was expanded the following year.
Municipalities such as Sortland also applied for funding to connect Vesterålen with the rest of Northern Norway, and were granted state support for road work in several places. Such work was crucial for the population’s connection to neighbouring villages and municipalities.
For people in Northern Norway, the roads meant more than just better transport. They provided access to school, hospital, work, and commerce. Where it used to take hours or days to get to the nearest village on foot, you could now drive a car or truck on new gravel roads. This also made it easier to transport goods such as fish, iron ore and timber between the villages. For many, the path led to increased contact with the outside world and new opportunities. The roads not only became a physical connection, they were also a social and economic bridge between the north and the rest of the country.
The history of road construction in Northern Norway is not just about asphalt and cars. It shows how local communities, in cooperation with the state, managed to build the necessary infrastructure under demanding conditions. Although the development took a long time, the roads laid the foundation for better communication, services and development in the north.
The photo was taken by Arne Elias Haagensen. Road work in Skredbukta, Sigerfjord in Sortland, 1946.
Front to left:
John Valdemar Andreassen, Olderskog (bass/foreman).
Rolf Marius Halvorsen, Ridderset.
Bergiton Larsen, Kjerringnes.
Sigurd Jakobsen, Sigerfjord
Julius Paulsen, Olderskog (from Bø in Vesterålen).
Behind:
Enevold Lundgren Andreassen, Olderskog (left)
Harald Kristoffer Kristensen, Olderskog (right)