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In 1992 travelers between Stavanger and the northern part of Rogaland County were able to shorten the journey due to the opening of Rennfast. This tunnel and road project made the trip to Haugesund about 30 minutes shorter and much more pleasant.

To get to Haugesund before you had to take a ferry from Mekjarvik (northwest of Stavanger). The ferry took about an hour and could be very unpleasant in bad weather. Queues were also normal - up to 5 hours waiting during the most popular public holidays!

The Rennfast project consists of two under-sea tunnels (8,5 km and 6 km long), a concrete bridge and roads to the northern corner of Rennesøy (Mortavika). From there you take a 25 minute ferry (there are 3 ferries on the route) to Arsvågen, Bokn.

The impressive Rennfast link with bridges and tunnels 233 meters below sea level.
In more recent years there has been a program of bridge and tunnel building, which has provided direct road links to many of the islands to the north of Stavanger. One of the most spectacular of these projects is the 'Rennfast' link. This consists of two under-sea tunnels and a bridge. The longest of these tunnels at 5860 meters is the Byfjordtunnelen, which at its deepest is 233 meters below sea-level. At the time of its completion in 1992, it was the world's deepest under-sea road tunnel. The other tunnel, Mastrafjordtunnelen, is 4424 meters long and 133 meters deep. This and other projects have eliminated a number of ferry routes and served to widen the bus net.

The road system is a toll road. Per 2005 it cost NOK 90,- to pass Rennfast. In addition the ferry between Rennesøy and Bokn costs NOK 153,-.