Förbifart Stockholm

The highway has been in the planning stage since 1966, when a regional planning sketch titled Greater Stockholm Physical Structure 2000 (Swedish: Storstockholm fysisk struktur år 2000) proposed three concentric circular arcs surround Stockholm to the west.

The next bypass to the west was a connection between Essingeleden at Brännkyrka over Ålsten past Bromma airport and northwards, an extent that is reminiscent of Diagonal Ulvsunda.

The third, outermost bypass had an extent mostly coinciding with the currently planned Förbifart Stockholm and was called Kungshattsleden.

[2] The road capacity over the relatively narrow passage between Saltsjön in the east and lake Mälaren in the west (where Stockholm is located) has not been expanded since Essingeleden opened in 1967.

The heavy vehicular load also causes severe wear and tear on the road surface, with large needs for repairs as a result.

Initially there were plans to let the highway to go above ground on the north part of Lovön and pass over a bridge to the mainland, but this was changed.

In 2009, the project was approved by the Swedish government in September 2009 and construction was expected to start in 2010 and take 8 years to complete.

[9] According to an episode of the documentary program series Uppdrag granskning, titled The most expensive Swedish expressway ("Sveriges dyraste motorväg"), the project will not solve the congestion problem, but instead result in a substantial increase in the use of cars and trucks as means of transportation.