The record-breaking project will connect the districts of Randaberg and Bokn. Video / Statens vegvesen
Norway is building a four-lane undersea tunnel that is set to become the world’s longest and deepest.
The record-breaking project – known as Rogfast – will connect the districts of Randaberg and Bokn, which are separated by a 25.7km wide body of water.
By removing the need for ferries, the tunnel will slash 11 hours from a 21-hour journey on Norway’s E39 coastal highway, which runs from Trondheim, in the far north, to Kristiansand, in the south.
The Rogfast project in Norway is set to be completed in 2033.
It will help millions of people commute to the cities of Stavanger and Bergen on the 1100km road, which is interrupted seven times by the need for ferries to cross fjords.
Rogfast is part of an ambitious 500 billion krone ($80b) upgrade project of the entire highway, which also includes plans for tunnels “floating” within the sea.
The Rogfast project manager said the current ferry service can be delayed by bad weather, prolonging journeys further – a problem that will not affect the tunnel.
It is hoped the venture will improve both exports and tourism.
“The port at Mortavika is quite exposed and, in the winter, ferries sometimes have to divert to another port,” said Oddvar Kaarmo.
“Once the tunnel is finished, we will not have to rely on good weather to keep the roads open. About half a year after the last drill and blast, we have to deliver the project, so we have to get a lot of work done simultaneously. It’s more about logistics than tunnelling.”
The mega-tunnel will be carved through a layer of rock underneath the water, and will take 35 minutes to drive through. It will have a four-lane dual tunnel design, with a maximum depth of 400m and length of 27km.
The tunnel will slash 11 hours off a 21-hour journey.
It is hoped the tunnel will make the export of goods easier and encourage tourism along the country’s west coast.
The government will pay for around 40% of the project, with the rest covered by a toll to use the tunnel.
Rogfast will overtake Norway’s Laerdal tunnel – which spans 24km between Laerdal and Aurland – as the world’s longest sub-sea road when it opens, and is slated for completion in 2033. Work began in 2018, but suffered severe delays because of the pandemic. Plans were originally approved by Norway’s Parliament in 2017.
Norway is planning to upgrade the entire E39 route and replace each ferry link with a fixed connection. As the water in the fjords is often too deep for regular tunnels, proposals include creating “floating” underwater tunnels tethered to the sea floor or suspended from the surface.
