Editing Triangle Link (section)

===Opening and operation===
[[File:Siggjo og Bømlabrua-edit.jpg|thumb|[[Bømla Bridge]]]]
The first part of the link, between Stord and Sveio, including the Stord Bridge and Bømlafjord Tunnel, was taken into use on 27 December 2000. The official opening and the National Road 542 opening took place on 30 April 2001. The opening of the first stage allowed two ferry services to be replaced, the [[Skjersholmane–Valevåg Ferry]], which connected Stord to Sveio, and the [[Skjersholmane–Utbjoa Ferry]], which connected Stord to [[Vindafjord]]. With the opening of the Bømlo connection, the two remaining ferries could be closed: the [[Sagvåg–Siggjarvåg Ferry]], which connected Stord with Bømlo, and the [[Mosterhamn–Valevåg Ferry]], which connected Bømlo to Sveio. The [[Langevåg–Buavåg Ferry]], which connects the southern part of Bømlo to Sveio, was not closed. In 2000, the four closed ferry services transported 884,216 vehicles and 1,935,875 people.<ref>Hauge: 100</ref>

From the start the toll plaza used [[Autopass]], a standard which allows automatic passage through the toll plaza without stopping. The system was launched by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in 2001 and the Triangle Link was the first to take the system into use. The tollway was also the first in the country to allow subscriptions to be made via the Internet.<ref name=h110 /> The initial charges were NOK&nbsp;75 for cars up to {{convert|3.5|t}} or {{convert|6.0|m|sp=us}} length, NOK&nbsp;225 for small trucks, between {{convert|6.0|and|12.4|m|sp=us}}, and NOK&nbsp;450 for longer vehicles.<ref name=h111 />

In 2004 the Public Roads Administration published a report documenting high administration costs in the 46 toll companies throughout the country.<ref name="brukte 118.000 bompengekroner">{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.no/na24/Brukte-118000-bompengekroner-pa-tur-til-USA-2475178.html |title=Brukte 118.000 bompengekroner på tur til USA |last=Stangenes |first=Torstein |date=4 December 2004 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103850/http://www.bt.no/na24/Brukte-118000-bompengekroner-pa-tur-til-USA-2475178.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Along with the company for the [[Osterøy Bridge]], SBT received the harshest criticism in the report.<ref name=trekkerseg>{{cite news |url=http://old.bt.no/na24/Trekker-seg-fra-bomselskap-7083.html |title=Trekker seg fra bomselskap |last=Garvik |first=Olav |date=18 January 2005 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222214146/http://old.bt.no/na24/Trekker-seg-fra-bomselskap-7083.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Especially a trip made by Chairman [[Harry Herstad]] and his wife to [[San Francisco]] to participate at a conference was criticized, as it cost the toll company NOK&nbsp;118,000. Also annual board member fees of NOK&nbsp;200,000 and excessive trips for the board were commented as wasted money. The internal audit concluded with that there were costs of NOK&nbsp;300,000 in 2002 and 2003 which were not properly documented or were not used in line with regulations.<ref name="brukte 118.000 bompengekroner" /> The report was rejected by the board, who claimed that several of the issues were misunderstandings and that the Public Roads Administration was using the report in a campaign to establish a state-run toll collection agency.<ref name="brukte 118.000 bompengekroner"/> [[Øyvind Halleraker]] withdrew as managing director of SBT and as chairman of the [[Norwegian Road Financing Companies Association]] in January 2005. He was at the time also [[List of members of the Parliament of Norway 2005–2009|member of parliament]] for the Conservative Party.<ref name="brukte 118.000 bompengekroner"/>

As a consequence of the report, Hordaland County Municipality demanded an extraordinary annual meeting be held in February, in which chairman [[Harry Herstad]] was replaced.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://old.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Full-utskifting-i-Trekantsambandet-5190.html |title=Full utskifting i Trekantsambandet |last=Olderkjær |first=Ove |date=4 February 2005 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=22 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222235816/http://old.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Full-utskifting-i-Trekantsambandet-5190.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Pål Kårbø]] was elected new chairman. At the same time the annual meeting demanded that the company withdraw from its various tasks related to establishing toll projects on Bølmo and [[Halsnøy]] as well as administrative work of the Norwegian Road Financing Companies Association.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Bomselskap-inn-pa-den-smale-veg-2290172.html |title=Bomselskap inn på den smale veg |last=Olderkjær |first=Ove |date=1 March 2005 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204516/http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Bomselskap-inn-pa-den-smale-veg-2290172.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In a 2007 report from the Public Roads Administration, SBT was one of seven toll companies which was criticized for too high administration costs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.no/nyheter/innenriks/For-mye-bompenger-gar-til-styrehonorarer-1838938.html |title=For mye bompenger går til styrehonorarer |date=25 March 2007 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110038/http://www.bt.no/nyheter/innenriks/For-mye-bompenger-gar-til-styrehonorarer-1838938.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The toll changed the operator of the toll plaza from [[Bru- og Tunnelselskapet]] to [[Vegamot]] in 2010. The same year the toll plaza had 1,910,280 passing vehicles and a revenue of NOK&nbsp;142 million.<ref name=annualreport /> This made it the ninth-largest toll road in Norway by revenue.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://bil.bt.no/bil/Ostlendinger-betaler-mest-i-bompenger-7574.html |title=Østlendinger betaler mest i bompenger |last=Wisløf |first=Harald |date=25 February 2012 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=14 July 2012 |archive-date=23 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130223001322/http://bil.bt.no/bil/Ostlendinger-betaler-mest-i-bompenger-7574.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The toll collection was scheduled to be completed on 30 April 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bt.no/nyheter/okonomi/Snart-vert-dette-heilt-gratis-2831808.html |title=Snart vert dette heilt gratis |last=Mæland |first=Ole Andreas |date=22 January 2013 |work=[[Bergens Tidende]] |language=Norwegian |access-date=23 January 2013 |archive-date=25 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125081909/http://www.bt.no/nyheter/okonomi/Snart-vert-dette-heilt-gratis-2831808.html |url-status=live }}</ref>