The Oslofjord at Horten-Moss - Ferry crossing, bridge or tunnel

The Oslofjord divides the most populated area in Norway in two parts. Oslo is located at the “top” of the fjord, with a population of 7-800.000. The east and west side of the fjord has a population of about 300.000 and 400.000 respectively, subject definition of the selected geographic area. “The greater Oslofjord area” represents about half of Norway’s population of about 4 million. Throughout history, the Oslofjord has represented a “transportation problem” going east/west or west/east. Ferry transportation has been the only solution. The number of vehicles and people shipped across the fjord has been rapidly increasing. There are two principal ferry crossings, Drabak - Hurum (2,5 km) and Horten - Moss (11 km). The number of vehicles per year at Drabak - Hurum is about 280.000 and at Horten-Moss about 710.000. During the last decades there have been discussions about strait crossing solutions: Bridges or tunnels or a combination of these two alternatives. Realistic plans at Drabak - Hurum have been discussed during the last 30-40 years. The Horten - Moss crossing with a miriimum distance of about 6 km and a present ferry distance of about 11 km represents very different and complex considerations.