The Hvalfjörður Tunnel or Hvalfjarðargöng, as it is known in Icelandic, is the first tunnel in Iceland to be built under the sea. The 5.77 km-long (5770 metres) road tunnel connects the western part of Iceland to its northern regions.
The Hvalfjörður Tunnel or Hvalfjarðargöng, as it is known in Icelandic, is the first tunnel in Iceland to be built under the sea. The 5.77 km-long (5770 metres) road tunnel connects the western part of Iceland to its northern regions.
Thus, what was earlier a long, winding route through the fjords was replaced by a shorter route through the tunnel, cutting the distance by 45 km. This means it now takes about 10 minutes to cross the fjords, which earlier took an arduous one hour time. The Tunnel, which is 165 metres below the sea level at its deepest point, has a sea depth at 40 metres, while the minimum rock coverage stands at 40 metres.
The Hvalfjörður Tunnel which is 165 metres below the sea level, also marked a milestone for being the first private finance initiative in the construction sector which did not get direct funding by the state government. Constructed by Spölur and designed by Verkís, Spölur owned the tunnel till 2018, after which it was transferred to Vegagerðin, the Icelandic Road Administration. The two-lane Tunnel built at a cost of $ 70 million began construction in 1996, which was completed in 1998 and has been designed to cater to an average daily traffic of 5000 vehicles.
Designed as per Norwegian guidelines, and Norwegian, Icelandic, and international standards, it received a bad rating in 2010 from the European tunnel test and subsequently several improvements were carried out from 2007 to 2013, including better lighting and emergency lights, additional fire extinguishers, monitoring system etc. Designed to withstand the effects of most earthquakes, there are also several portals at 500 metre intervals to facilitate turning around. The Hvalfjörður Tunnel has been toll-free since October 2018.
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