Construction work on the Atlantic Ocean Road started on 1 August 1983, with the opening taking place on 7 July 1989. During this period there were no less than 12 hurricane-like storms in the area. The road is built on several small islands and skerries, and is spanned by eight bridges and several landfills/viaducts.

This road has an open sea view which is not so common for roads along the Norwegian coast, since there are archipelagos that obscures this view. Here the distance between the islands is so small that a road could be built across the archipelago. In addition there are fjords and mountains inside the road. The spectacular road quickly became a popular tourist attraction to the extent that caution must be shown when driving it, as both the local population and visitors frequently use the road to go fishing for cod and other saltwater fish directly from the roadside.