Norway to Build World’s First Floating Tunnel

• 4 October 2016
• Local News
• 2575 Views

To reduce travel time across the country’s stunning but un-crossable fjords, Norway is considering building the world’s first floating underwater tunnel, according to Business Insider.

A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated sea or lakedrain, with steep land on three sides. The west side of Norway is made up of 1,190 fjords, which make it very hard to travel along the country\’s coastline.

Currently, the drive from the southern city of Kristiansand to Trondheim in the north takes an excruciating 21 hours and requires seven ferry crossings.

To make that drive easier, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has proposed the world\’s first underwater floating tunnel, which would be submerged in the Norwegian Sea. It is predicted to cost $25 billion (around £19 million) to build, according to Wired.

The tunnel is part of a series of proposed solutions for the Route E39 coastal highway devised by the NPRA. The floating underwater tunnel would consist of two 4,000-foot-long, curved concrete tubes, submerged 66 feet below the surface of the Norwegian Sea.

The first proposed crossing is for Sognefjord which links up Oppedal with Lavik. By 2035, the crossings are set to be installed between many of the country\’s fjords, according to Wired.

• Urbanization and Architect