Faroe Islands Will Have Their Own Underwater Roundabout in New Tunnel System

What's going to be the incredible Eysturoy tunnel network will be nearly seven miles (12 km) long, and it is going to link the Faroese Islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy. 

The tunnel is being built to connect the Faroese capital, Tórshavn with Runavik, and other locations on both sides of the Skálafjørður bay. The travel time between Tórshavn and Runavik, for instance, will go from one hour and 14 minutes down to just 16 minutes.

The tunnel system includes a roundabout, reported the project's main contractor, NCC.

NCC reported that the tunnel is set to officially open in early 2021, although some reports suggest certain networks will open on December 19. A test run with emergency services will first be carried out on December 17, per BBC.

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The lowest section of the tunnel network sits at 613 feet (187 meters) below sea level.

Work on the tunnel began in 2016, and Kristina Háfoss, a member of the Faroe Islands' Parliament, wrote on Twitter that the special roundabout will be decorated by the Faroese artist Tróndur Patursson. Patursson's art will involve light effects and sculptures on and around the roundabout, which sits in the middle of the tunnel network.

Congratulations to @Tinganes the Faroese government and everyone involved in this remarkable piece of engineering. This is what that sub-sea roundabout looked like less than two years ago when I visited the site in January 2019. #FaroeIslands #tunnel pic.twitter.com/4KDl8ztBQ6

— Brendan O'Hara MP (@BrendanOHaraMP) December 3, 2020

Keeping safety at the forefront, the company overseeing the project Estunlar stated that the steepest gradient of the tunnel sits at five percent.

As per NCC, these tunnels are the biggest infrastructure investment to be made on the Faroe Islands. The group has already started working on the second tunnel system, the Sandøy Tunnel, which will connect the islands of Streymoy and Sandoy. This tunnel will span 6.7 miles (10.9 km), and be completed in 2023.

BBC reported that a toll will have to be paid by those using the tunnels.

The Faroe Islands comprise 18 islets in the North Atlantic, halfway between Norway and Iceland, and are an autonomous territory of Denmark.

 

 

 

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