List of subsea tunnels in Norway
Norway's geography is dominated by fjords and islands. As of 2011, the country has thirty-three undersea tunnels, most of which are fixed links. Tunnels are chosen to replace ferries to allow residents of islands and remote peninsulas access to regional centers, where water-crossings are too long for bridges. The Bømlafjord Tunnel is the country's longest, at 7,888 meters (25,879 ft), although it is scheduled to be surpassed by the 8,999-meter (29,524 ft) Karmøy Tunnel from 2013. The Eiksund Tunnel is the world's deepest, reaching 287 meters (942 ft) below mean sea level. In 1982, the Vardø Tunnel was the first underwater tunnel to open. Most of the tunnels are built as fixed links, allowing ferry services to be abandoned. In 2010, the first three tunnel in cities, the Bjørvika Tunnel, the Skansen Tunnel and the Knappe Tunnel, were opened, all of which were built as motorways to bypass the city center. Suspended tunnels have been proposed, which could be installed in places too deep for conventional tunnels, such as the Sognefjord.[1]
Current
The following lists all subsea tunnels in use as of 2011. It includes the name, length in meters and feet, depth below mean sea level in meters and feet, the year the tunnel was taken into use with ordinary traffic (which may differ from the year it was officially opened), the road the tunnel carries, the county or counties the tunnel is in, and the municipalities, including any the tunnel passes through. Roads starting with E indicates a European route, while FV indicates a county road without signposted road number; only numbers indicates roadside-numbered county roads which are former national roads.[2]
Name | Length (m) | Length (ft) | Depth (m) | Depth (ft) | Opened | Road | Project | Fixed link for | County(s) | Municipality(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Karmøy | 8,900 | 29,200 | 139 | 456 | 2013 | 47 | T-Link | — | Rogaland | Karmøy, Tysvær | |
Bømlafjord | 7,888 | 25,879 | 263 | 863 | 2000 | E39 | Triangle Link | Bømlo, Stord | Hordaland | Stord, Sveio | [2] |
Eiksund | 7,765 | 25,476 | 287 | 942 | 2008 | 653 | Eiksund Fixed Link | Hareidlandet | Møre og Romsdal | Ulstein, Volda, Ørsta | |
Oslofjord | 7,280 | 23,880 | 134 | 440 | 2000 | 23 | — | — | Akershus, Buskerud | Frogn, Hurum | [2] |
North Cape | 6,875 | 22,556 | 212 | 696 | 1999 | E69 | — | Magerøya | Finnmark | Nordkapp | [2] |
Byfjord | 5,875 | 19,275 | 223 | 732 | 1992 | E39 | Rennesøy Fixed Link | Mosterøy, Sokn | Rogaland | Randaberg, Rennesøy | [2] |
Atlantic Ocean | 5,779 | 18,960 | 250 | 820 | 2009 | 64 | — | Gjemnes | Møre og Romsdal | Averøy, Kristiansund | |
Finnøy[3] | 5,685 | 18,652 | 200 | 660 | 2009 | 519 | Finnøy Fixed Link | Finnøy, Talgje | Rogaland | Finnøy, Rennesøy | |
Hitra | 5,645 | 18,520 | 264 | 866 | 1994 | 714 | Hitra–Frøya Fixed Link | Hitra | Sør-Trøndelag | Hitra, Snillfjord | [2] |
Knappe* | 5,400 | 17,700 | 29 | 95 | 2010 | 557 | Ring Road West | — | Hordaland | Bergen | |
Frøya | 5,305 | 17,405 | 164 | 538 | 2000 | 714 | Hitra–Frøya Fixed Link | Frøya | Sør-Trøndelag | Frøya, Hitra | [2] |
Freifjord | 5,086 | 16,686 | 130 | 430 | 1992 | 70 | Kristiansund Fixed Link | Kristiansund | Møre og Romsdal | Gjemnes, Kristiansund | [2] |
Mastrafjord | 4,424 | 14,514 | 133 | 436 | 1992 | E39 | Rennesøy Fixed Link | Rennesøy | Rogaland | Rennesøy | [2] |
Valderøy | 4,222 | 13,852 | 133 | 436 | 1992 | 658 | Vigra Fixed Link | Valderøy, Vigra | Møre og Romsdal | Giske, Ålesund | [2] |
Halsnøy | 4,120 | 13,520 | 136 | 446 | 2008 | 544 | — | Halsnøy | Hordaland | Kvinnherad | |
Godøy | 3,844 | 12,612 | 153 | 502 | 1989 | 658 | Vigra Fixed Link | Godøy | Møre og Romsdal | Giske | [2] |
Hvaler | 3,751 | 12,306 | 120 | 390 | 1989 | 108 | — | Hvaler | Østfold | Hvaler | [2] |
Ellingsøy | 3,520 | 11,550 | 144 | 472 | 1987 | 658 | Vigra Fixed Link | Ellingsøy | Møre og Romsdal | Giske | [2] |
Tromsøysund* | 3,500 | 11,500 | 102 | 335 | 1994 | E8 | — | Tromsøya | Troms | Tromsø | [2] |
Ibestad | 3,396 | 11,142 | 112 | 367 | 2000 | 848 | — | Ibestad | Troms | Ibestad | [2] |
Sløverfjord | 3,337 | 10,948 | 112 | 367 | 1997 | E10 | Lofoten Fixed Link | Lofoten | Nordland | Hadsel | [2] |
Vardø | 2,892 | 9,488 | 88 | 289 | 1983 | E75 | — | Vardøya | Finnmark | Vardø | [2] |
Fannefjord | 2,743 | 8,999 | 101 | 331 | 1991 | 64 | Skåla Fixed Link | Skålahalvøya | Møre og Romsdal | Molde | [2] |
Rya | 2,675 | 8,776 | 87 | 285 | 2011 | 858 | — | Malangshalvøya | Troms | Tromsø | |
Flekkerøy | 2,327 | 7,635 | 101 | 331 | 1989 | 457 | — | Flekkerøy | Vest-Agder | Kristiansand | [2] |
Melkøysund | 2,316 | 7,598 | 62 | 203 | 2003 | Private | — | Melkøya | Finnmark | Hammerfest | |
Maursund | 2,122 | 6,962 | 93 | 305 | 1991 | 866 | — | Kågen | Troms | Nordreisa, Skjervøy | [2] |
Bjorøy | 2,012 | 6,601 | 88 | 289 | 1996 | FV 207 | — | Bjorøy | Hordaland | Bergen, Fjell | |
Skatestraum | 1,902 | 6,240 | 91 | 299 | 2002 | 616 | Bremanger Fixed Link | Bremangerlandet | Sogn og Fjordane | Bremanger | [2] |
Kvalsund | 1,650 | 5,410 | 56 | 184 | 1988 | 863 | — | Rinvassøya | Troms | Tromsø | [2] |
Bjørvika* | 1,100 | 3,600 | 20 | 66 | 2010 | E18 | Oslo Package 1 | — | Oslo | Oslo | |
Skansen | 715 | 2,346 | 14 | 46 | 2010 | 706 | Nordre avlastningsvei | — | Sør-Trøndelag | Trondheim |
Under construction
The following tunnels are under construction, but are not yet completed or taken into use.
Name | Length (m) | Length (ft) | Depth (m) | Depth (ft) | Opening | Road | Project | Fixed link for | County(s) | Municipality(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solbakk* | 14,000 | 46,000 | 290 | 950 | 2018 | 13 | Ryfylke Fixed Link | Ryfylke | Rogaland | Stavanger, Strand | [4] |
Hundvåg* | 5,600 | 18,400 | 2018 | 13 | Ryfylke Fixed Link | Hundvåg, Ryfylke | Rogaland | Stavanger | [5] | ||
Bjarkøy | 3,250 | 10,660 | 129 | 423 | 867 | Bjarkøy Fixed Link | Bjarkøya | Troms | Harstad |
Proposed
The following includes tunnels which have been proposed and which are either being planned by the Norwegian Public Road Administration, or are in National Transport Plan 2010–2019. Project which have been abandoned or have not been subject to public investigations are not included. Several of the most trafficked ferry sections are not currently proposed, as the fjords are too deep to have a tunnel with current technology. As of 2011, there are 160 ferry crossings in the country, the majority of which could potentially be replaced by fixed links. For the authorities, decision for new tunnels depends on the length, possibility to build a bridge, depth of the sound or fjord and population in the affected areas. While the first tunnels were mostly part of fixed links to connect island and sealocked communities to the mainland, focus has recently shifted more towards replacing ferries on main roads connecting regions, in particular European Route E39, which runs along the West Coast. The largest proposal is for E39 Rogfast, which would replace four ferry services, and would become the world's longest road tunnel and the world's deepest tunnel.
Name | Length (m) | Length (ft) | Depth (m) | Depth (ft) | Road | Project | Fixed link for | County(s) | Municipality(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rogfast* | 25,000 | 82,000 | 380 | 1,250 | E39 | Rogaland Fixed Link | Kvitsøy, Haugaland | Rogaland | Bokn, Kvitsøy, Randaberg | [6] |
Langfjord | 10,000 | 33,000 | 64 | — | Romsdal, Sekken | Møre og Romsdal | Molde, Rauma | [7] | ||
Sotra* | 6,000 | 20,000 | 555 | — | Sotra, Øygarden | Hordaland | Bergen, Sund | [8] | ||
Tautra* | 13,000 | 43,000 | E39 | Møre Fixed Link | Otrøya | Møre og Romsdal | Midsund, Vestnes | [9] | ||
Storfjord | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | Sykkylven, Stranda | Møre og Romsdal | Ålesund, Sykkylven | [10] |
Trondheimsfjord | — | — | — | — | 715 | — | Fosen | Sør-Trøndelag | Leksvik, Trondheim | [11][12] |
Moss–Horten | 17,000 | 56,000 | 300 | 980 | 82 | — | — | Vestfold, Østfold | Horten, Moss | [13] |
References
- ↑ Kjærvik, Atle (1998). "Building the world's first underwater suspension tunnel". Gemini. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Norwegian Public Roads Administration (2004). "Beregning av gjenanskaffelsesverdien av riksvegnettet" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ↑ Length is for the main tunnel from Hanasand to Ladstein. The branch to Talgje is 1,467 m (4,813 ft) long.
- ↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "Rv. 13 Solbakktunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "Rv. 13 Hundvågtunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "E39 Rogfast sub-sea road-tunnel" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration (17 June 2008). "Planprogram rv 64 Årfarnes – Sølsnes Langfjordtunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration (12 June 2008). "Konseptvalutgreiing (KVU) for Sotrasambandet" (in Norwegian). p. 60. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Reite, Terje; Vestre, Trond (11 August 2009). "– Møreaksen står for tur". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Sørås, Odd (27 September 2006). "Bru eller tunnel over Storfjorden". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Bruland, Amund; Grøv, Einar; Nilsen, Bjørn (July 2010). "Trondheimsfjorden Kryssing med fjelltunnel eller rørbru/flytebru" (in Norwegian). SINTEF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Kothe-Næss, Thomas (8 March 2007). "Fosen- tunnel i 2015?". Adresseavisen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ↑ "Jubler ikke over tunnelforslag". Tønsbergs Blad (in Norwegian). 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.