European route E20

European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia.

E20
Major junctions
West endShannon Airport, Ireland
East endSaint Petersburg, Russia
Location
Countries Ireland
 United Kingdom
 Denmark
 Sweden
 Estonia
 Russia
Highway system
International E-road network

Its length is 1,880 km (1,170 mi) but it is not continuous; at three points, a sea crossing is required. Roll-on/roll-off ferries make the crossings from Dublin to Liverpool and from Stockholm to Tallinn. No publicly accessible ferries traverse the North Sea from Kingston-upon-Hull to Esbjerg (as of 2019), but a ferry for commercial drivers leaves Immingham for Esbjerg on most days.[1]

Route

Ireland

The initial section of the E20 from Shannon Airport to Dublin via Limerick is approximately 228 km long and is only partially signed, along the M7/N7. The section from Shannon Airport to east of Limerick is mainly dual carriageway, with a short section of motorway as part of the Limerick Southern Ring Road. The Shannon Tunnel, opened on 16 July 2010, completed the bypass of Limerick. The section from Limerick to Naas is motorway (M7), and the final section from Naas to Dublin is dual carriageway (N7). A ferry must be used from Dublin to Liverpool.[2]

United Kingdom

E20 follows the A5080 from Liverpool to Huyton, the M62 from Huyton to South Cave, and the A63 from South Cave to Kingston upon Hull. The route length across the UK is 205 kilometres (127 mi) in total but is not signposted.

There are no ferries between Kingston upon Hull and Esbjerg. Alternative ferries were once available from Immingham, which is 48 kilometres (30 mi) from Kingston upon Hull, and Harwich, which is 350 kilometres (220 mi) from Kingston upon Hull. There are no longer any passenger routes operating between the UK and Scandinavia.

The closest alternative is to take the Eurotunnel Shuttle from Cheriton (Folkestone) to Calais, or take a ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland. Both of these routes would require a detour of around 900 miles (940 miles to Esbjerg, as this route would require you to drive along the E20 to reach Esbjerg).[3]

Denmark

In Denmark, E20 is a motorway from Esbjerg to the Øresund Bridge. The length of the Danish part is 315 km (196 mi).

It passes first along Jutland from Esbjerg to Kolding, then crosses the Little Belt Bridge onto Funen. E20 crosses the entirety of Funen, passing around 2km from Odense. Then, at Nyborg, E20 crosses the Great Belt Fixed Link onto Zealand. E20 follows the Vestmotorvejen until Køge, where it goes north to Copenhagen. In Copenhagen, E20 passes south of the city, crossing onto Kastrup where it meets the Copenhagen Airport. The Øresund Bridge begins as a tunnel on Kastrup.

Between Køge and Copenhagen, the road has three E-road numbers (E47 and E55).

The Great Belt Bridge and Øresund Bridge are both tolled, charging over €30 each.[4][5] The road crosses the border between Denmark and Sweden on the Øresund Bridge.

Sweden

In Sweden, E20 is a motorway from the Öresund Bridge in Malmö to Nääs 30 km east of Gothenburg, a 320 km (200 mi) long motorway. Furthermore, it is a motorway most of the route from Vretstorp (20 km (12 mi) west of Örebro) to Stockholm.

The Swedish part of E20 is 770 km (480 mi) long. Its extent is shared with E6 along a 280 km (170 mi) long stretch, with E18 along 50 km (31 mi) and with E4 along 35 km (22 mi).

The part through Stockholm has very heavy traffic, including the most heavily trafficked road in Scandinavia, Essingeleden (160 000 vehicles/day). There is often congestion on this stretch. A new tunnel for route E20, "Norra länken", was built north of the city center and opened 30 November 2014.[6] The planned Förbifart Stockholm bypass will divert traffic from Essingeleden.

Between Stockholm and Tallinn a car ferry departs daily, taking 15 hours. The port in Stockholm is located at Lilla Värtan, about 4 km northeast of the central core of the city.

Estonia

In Estonia, E20 follows the route of national main road nr. 1 (Tallinn–Narva). In Tallinn to relieve traffic a bridge has been built on the intersection of the E263 and the E20. The E20 across Estonia is partially an unsigned expressway (speed limit 110 km/h in summer), for 80.7 km east of Tallinn to Aaspere along with a section near Haljala (km 87 - 90.5) and a section between Kohtla-Järve and Jõhvi (km 155.9–163.2). The remainder being single carriageway. The distance from Tallinn to the Russian border at the Narva River is 218 km.

Russia

In Russia, the route takes the Narva Highway (also listed in the Russian road numbering system as the A180 route, formerly known as the M11 route) running from Ivangorod to Saint Petersburg as a dual-lane highway. The distance from Ivangorod to Saint Petersburg is 142 km.

The border control facilities at the Estonia-Russia crossing are equipped and being operated for a limited amount of traffic on both sides of the border. The border crossing requires a reservation - despite this, waiting lines still can extend for many hours and even days.[7]

E20 route, west to east

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References
  1. "DFDS". www.dfds.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  2. "Dublin to Liverpool Ferry | Ferries to Liverpool | P&O Ferries - UK". www.poferries.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  3. "Hull to Esbjerg". Hull to Esbjerg. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  4. "Øresundsbron". dk.oresundsbron.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. "Personbil - Storebælt". www.storebaelt.dk. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. Trafikverket. "Om projektet Norra länken". Trafikverket. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. "Electronic reservation system for border crossings at the Estonia-Russia checkpoints; updates on the waiting lines".
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