Norway's geography is dominated by fjords and islands. As of 2011, the country has 31 undersea tunnels, most of which are fixed links. Tunnels are chosen to replace ferrys to allow residents of islands and sealocked peninsulas access to regional centers, where crossing 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 which were built as motorways to bypass the city center. Submerged floating tunnels have previously been proposed; as they do not need to be built under a fjord, they allow for tunnels to be built in places too deep for conventional tunnels, such as for crossing Sognefjord.[1]
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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) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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, Ărsta | |
Oslofjord | 7,280 | 23,880 | 134 | 440 | 2000 | 23 | â | â | Akershus, Buskerud | Frogn, Hurum | [2] |
North Cape | 6,875 | 22,556 | 212 | 696 | 1999 | E69 | â | 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 | â | 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 | HitraâFrøya Fixed Link | Hitra | Sør-Trøndelag | Hitra, Snillfjord | [2] |
Knappe* | 5,400 | 17,700 | 29 | 95 | 2010 | 557 | Ring Road West | â | Hordaland | Bergen | |
Frøya | 5,305 | 17,405 | 164 | 538 | 2000 | 714 | HitraâFrøya 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, à lesund | [2] |
Halsnøy | 4,120 | 13,520 | 136 | 446 | 2008 | 544 | â | 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 | â | Hvaler | Ăstfold | 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 | â | Tromsøya | Troms | Tromsø | [2] |
Ibestad | 3,396 | 11,142 | 112 | 367 | 2000 | 848 | â | 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 | â | Vardøya | Finnmark | Vardø | [2] |
Fannefjord | 2,743 | 8,999 | 101 | 331 | 1991 | 64 | Sküla Fixed Link | Skülahalvøya | Møre og Romsdal | Molde | [2] |
Flekkerøy | 2,327 | 7,635 | 101 | 331 | 1989 | 457 | â | Flekkerøy | Vest-Agder | Kristiansand | [2] |
Melkøysund | 2,316 | 7,598 | 62 | 203 | 2003 | Private | â | Melkøya | Finnmark | Hammerfest | |
Maursund | 2,122 | 6,962 | 93 | 305 | 1991 | 866 | â | KĂĽgen | Troms | Nordreisa, Skjervøy | [2] |
Bjorøy | 2,012 | 6,601 | 88 | 289 | 1996 | FV 207 | â | 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 | â | Rinvassøya | Troms | Tromsø | [2] |
Bjørvika* | 1,100 | 3,600 | 20 | 66 | 2010 | E18 | Oslo Package 1 | â | Oslo | Oslo | |
Skansen | 715 | 2,346 | 14 | 46 | 2010 | 706 | Nordre avlastningsvei | â | Sør-Trøndelag | Trondheim |
The following tunnels are under construction, but are not yet completed or taken into use.
Name | Length (m) |
Length (ft) |
Depth (m) |
Depth (ft) |
Opened | Road | Project | Fixed link for | County(s) | Municipality(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rya | 2,700 | 8,900 | 2011 | 858 | â | Malangshalvøya | Troms | Tromsø | |||
Karmøy | 8,900 | 29,200 | 139 | 456 | 2013 | 47 | T-Link | â | Rogaland | Karmøy, TysvĂŚr |
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 2010â2019. 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 | [4] |
Langfjord | 10,000 | 33,000 | 64 | â | Romsdal, Sekken | Møre og Romsdal | Molde, Rauma | [5] | ||
Hordfast* | â | â | â | â | E39 | Hordaland Fixed Link | Sunnhordland | Hordaland | Tysnes, Os | [6] |
Sotra* | 6,000 | 20,000 | 555 | â | Sotra, Ăygarden | Hordaland | Bergen, Sund | [7] | ||
Solbakk* | 14,000 | 46,000 | 290 | 950 | 13 | Ryfylke Fixed Link | Ryfylke | Rogaland | Stavanger, Strand | [8] |
HundvĂĽg* | 5,600 | 18,400 | 13 | Ryfylke Fixed Link | HundvĂĽg, Ryfylke | Rogaland | Stavanger | [9] | ||
Tautra* | 13,000 | 43,000 | E39 | Møre Fixed Link | Otrøya | Møre og Romsdal | Midsund, Vestnes | [10] | ||
Korsfjord | â | â | â | â | 546 | Hordaland Fixed Link | Austevoll | Hordaland | Austevoll, Fjell | [6] |
Selbjørnsfjord | â | â | â | â | 546 | Hordaland Fixed Link | Austevoll | Hordaland | Austevoll, Stord | [6] |
Fusa | â | â | â | â | 552 | Hordaland Fixed Link | Austevoll | Hordaland | Fusa, Os | [6] |
Storfjord | â | â | â | â | 60 | â | Sykkylven, Stranda | Møre og Romsdal | Ă lesund, Sykkylven | [11] |
Bjarkøy | â | â | â | â | 867 | Bjarkøy Fixed Link | Bjarkøya | Troms | Bjarkøy | |
Sandsøya | â | â | â | â | 867 | Bjarkøy Fixed Link | Sandsøya | Troms | Bjarkøy | |
Trondheimsfjord | â | â | â | â | 715 | â | Fosen | Sør-Trøndelag | Leksvik, Trondheim | [12][13] |
MossâHorten | 17,000 | 56,000 | 300 | 980 | 82 | â | â | Vestfold, Ăstfold | Horten, Moss | [14] |
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