List of subsea tunnels in Norway

Last updated May 25, 2024

The Ryfylke Tunnel. Ryfylketunnelen.jpg — The *Ryfylke* Tunnel.

Norway's geography is dominated by fjords and islands. As of 2011, the country has thirty-three undersea tunnels, most of which are fixed links. Tunnels are chosen to replace ferries to allow residents of islands and remote peninsulas access to regional centers, where water-crossings are too long for bridges. The Ryfylke Tunnel is the country's longest, at 14,400 meters (47,200 ft).

The Ryfylke Tunnel is the world's deepest, reaching 292 meters (958 ft) below mean sea level. Norway's first subsea tunnel was the Vardø Tunnel, which opened in 1982. Most of the tunnels are built as fixed links, allowing ferry services to be abandoned. In 2010, the first three tunnels in cities, the Bjørvika Tunnel, the Skansen Tunnel and the Knappe Tunnel, were opened, all of which were built as motorways to bypass the city center. Suspended tunnels have been proposed, which could be installed in places too deep for conventional tunnels, such as the Sognefjord.^[1]^{[ needs update? ]}

Current

The following lists all subsea tunnels in use as of 2019. 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)
Ryfylke	14,000	46,000	290	950	2019	13	Ryfylke Fixed Link	Ryfylke	Rogaland	Stavanger and Strand	^[3]
Karmøy	8,900	29,200	139	456	2013	47	T-Link	—	Rogaland	Karmøy and Tysvær
Bømlafjord	7,888	25,879	263	863	2000	E39	Triangle Link	Bømlo and Stord	Vestland	Stord and Sveio	^[2]
Eiksund	7,765	25,476	287	942	2008	653	Eiksund Fixed Link	Hareidlandet	Møre og Romsdal	Ulstein, Volda, and Ørsta
Oslofjord	7,280	23,880	134	440	2000	23	—	—	Akershus	Frogn and Asker	^[2]
North Cape	6,875	22,556	212	696	1999	E69	—	Magerøya	Finnmark	Nordkapp	^[2]
Byfjord	5,875	19,275	223	732	1992	E39	Rennesøy Fixed Link	Mosterøy and Sokn	Rogaland	Randaberg and Stavanger	^[2]
Atlantic Ocean	5,779	18,960	250	820	2009	64	—	Kristiansund	Møre og Romsdal	Averøy and Kristiansund
Finnøy ^[4]	5,685	18,652	200	660	2009	519	Finnøy Fixed Link	Finnøy and Talgje	Rogaland	Stavanger
Hitra	5,645	18,520	264	866	1994	714	Hitra–Frøya Fixed Link	Hitra	Trøndelag	Hitra	^[2]
Hundvåg*	5,600	18,400			2019	13	Ryfylke Fixed Link	Hundvåg and Ryfylke	Rogaland	Stavanger	^[5]
Knappe*	5,400	17,700	29	95	2010	557	Ring Road West	—	Vestland	Bergen
Frøya	5,305	17,405	164	538	2000	714	Hitra–Frøya Fixed Link	Frøya	Trøndelag	Frøya and Hitra	^[2]
Freifjord	5,086	16,686	130	430	1992	70	Kristiansund Fixed Link	Kristiansund	Møre og Romsdal	Gjemnes and Kristiansund	^[2]
Mastrafjord	4,424	14,514	133	436	1992	E39	Rennesøy Fixed Link	Rennesøy	Rogaland	Stavanger	^[2]
Valderøy	4,222	13,852	133	436	1992	658	Vigra Fixed Link	Valderøya and Vigra	Møre og Romsdal	Giske and Ålesund	^[2]
Halsnøy	4,120	13,520	136	446	2008	544	—	Halsnøy	Vestland	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	—	Hvaler	Østfold	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	—	Tromsøya	Troms	Tromsø	^[2]
Ibestad	3,396	11,142	112	367	2000	848	—	Rolla	Troms	Ibestad	^[2]
Sløverfjord	3,337	10,948	112	367	1997	E10	Lofoten Fixed Link	Lofoten	Nordland	Hadsel	^[2]
Bjarkøy	3,250	10,660	129	423		867	Bjarkøy Fixed Link	Bjarkøya	Troms	Harstad	^[6]
Vardø	2,892	9,488	88	289	1983	E75	—	Vardøya	Finnmark	Vardø	^[2]
Fannefjord	2,743	8,999	101	331	1991	64	Skåla Fixed Link	Skålahalvøya	Møre og Romsdal	Molde	^[2]
Rya	2,675	8,776	87	285	2011	858	—	Malangshalvøya	Troms	Tromsø
Flekkerøy	2,327	7,635	101	331	1989	457	—	Flekkerøy	Agder	Kristiansand	^[2]
Melkøysund	2,316	7,598	62	203	2003	Private	—	Melkøya	Finnmark	Hammerfest
Maursund	2,122	6,962	93	305	1991	866	—	Kågen	Troms	Nordreisa and Skjervøy	^[2]
Bjorøy	2,012	6,601	88	289	1996	FV 207	—	Bjorøy	Vestland	Bergen and Øygarden
Skatestraum	1,902	6,240	91	299	2002	616	Bremanger Fixed Link	Bremangerlandet	Vestland	Bremanger	^[2]
Kvalsund	1,650	5,410	56	184	1988	863	—	Rinvassøya	Troms	Tromsø	^[2]
Bjørvika*	1,100	3,600	20	66	2010	E18	Oslo Package 1	—	Oslo	Oslo
Skansen	715	2,346	14	46	2010	706	Nordre avlastningsvei	—	Trøndelag	Trondheim

Under construction

The following tunnels are under construction, but are not yet completed or taken into use.

Name	Length (m)	Length (ft)	Depth (m)	Depth (ft)	Opening	Road	Project	Fixed link for	County(s)	Municipality(s)	Ref(s)
Rogfast*	25,000	82,000	390	1,280	2033	E39	Rogaland Fixed Link	Kvitsøy and Haugaland	Rogaland	Bokn, Kvitsøy, and Randaberg	^[7]

Proposed

The following includes tunnels which have been proposed and which are either being planned by the Norwegian Public Road Administration, or are in the National Transport Plan 2010–2019. Projects 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, the decision to build new tunnels depends on the length, possibility of building 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.

Name	Length (m)	Length (ft)	Depth (m)	Depth (ft)	Road	Project	Fixed link for	County(s)	Municipality(s)	Ref(s)
Langfjord	10,000	33,000			64	—	Romsdal and Sekken	Møre og Romsdal	Molde and Rauma	^[8]
Sotra*	6,000	20,000			555	—	Sotra and Øygarden	Vestland	Bergen and Øygarden	^[9]
Tautra*	13,000	43,000			E39	Møre Fixed Link	Otrøya	Møre og Romsdal	Molde and Vestnes	^[10]
Storfjord	—	—	—	—	60	—	Sykkylven and Stranda	Møre og Romsdal	Ålesund and Sykkylven	^[11]
Trondheimsfjord	15—36 km	—	540	—	715	—	Fosen	Trøndelag	Indre Fosen and Trondheim	^[12]^[13]
Trondheimsfjord	6—16 km	—	400	—	710/718	Road/Electricity	Fosen	Trøndelag	Orkland and Ørland	^[14]
Moss–Horten	17,000	56,000	300	980	82	—	—	Vestfold and Østfold	Horten and Moss	^[15]
Langsund	2,900	9,500			863	—	Reinøya	Troms	Karlsøy

Related Research Articles

Transport in Norway is highly influenced by Norway's low population density, narrow shape and long coastline. Norway has old water transport traditions, but road, rail and air transport have increased in importance during the 20th century. Due to the low population density, public transport is somewhat less built out in rural areas of Norway, however public transport in, and around cities is well developed.

The Triangle Link is a fixed link with three branches connecting the islands of Stord and Bømlo to each other and the mainland at Sveio, Norway. It consists of the underwater Bømlafjord Tunnel from Sveio to the island of Føyno, the Stord Bridge from there to Stord, and a road including the Bømla Bridge and the Spissøy Bridge to Bømlo. The section from Sveio to Stord is part of European Route E39, while the branch to Bømlo is part of County Road 542.

The Nordhordland Bridge is a combined cable-stayed and pontoon bridge which crosses Salhusfjorden between Klauvaneset and the island of Flatøy in Vestland county, Norway. It is 1,614 meters (5,295 ft) long, of which the pontoon section is 1,246 meters (4,088 ft) long. The cable-stayed section consists of a single 99-meter (325 ft) tall H-pylon which has a length of 368 meters (1,207 ft) and a main span of 172 meters (564 ft). This allows for a clearance of 32 meters (105 ft).

The Stord Bridge is a suspension bridge which crosses Digernessundet between the islands of Stord and Føyno in Stord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The bridge is 1,077 meters (3,533 ft) long, has a main span of 677 meters (2,221 ft) and a clearance below of 18 meters (59 ft). It carries two lanes of European Route E39 and a combined pedestrian and bicycle pathway. It is part of the Triangle Link, a fixed link which connects Stord to Bømlo, and both to the mainland. In 2010, the bridge had an average 5,021 vehicles per day. The bridge and the link was a toll road from the opening until 30 May 2013.

The Sotra Bridge is a suspension bridge which crosses Knarreviksundet between Knarrevik in Øygarden Municipality and Drotningsvik on the mainland of Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It carries two road lanes and two narrow pedestrian paths of National Road 555, providing a fixed link for the archipelago of Sotra. The bridge is 1,236 metres (4,055 ft) long, has a main span of 468 metres (1,535 ft) and a clearance of 50 metres (160 ft). In 2007, it had an average 25,494 vehicles per day.

European route E39 is the designation of a 1,330 kilometres (830 mi) north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bømlafjord Tunnel</span> Road tunnel in Norway

The Bømlafjord Tunnel is a subsea road tunnel under Bømlafjorden which connects the island of Føyno in Stord Municipality to the mainland at Dalshovda in Sveio Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The tunnel is 7.82 kilometers (4.86 mi) long and reaches 260.4 m (854 ft) below mean sea level. It carries three lanes of European Road E39 and is part of the Triangle Link, a fixed link which connects Sunnhordland to Haugaland. Plans for the tunnel arose in the 1980s; construction started in 1997 and the tunnel opened on 27 December 2000. The tunnel was built using the drilling and blasting method, with two teams building from each end. The tunnel runs through an area composed mostly of gneiss, phyllite and greenstone. The tunnel was the longest subsea tunnel in Norway until the opening of Karmøytunnelen. It is still (2013) the deepest point on the E-road network. The tunnel was a toll road from the opening until 30 April 2013. In 2012 the tunnel had an average 4,084 vehicles per day.

The Oslofjord Tunnel is a subsea road tunnel which traverses the Oslofjord, connecting Hurum and Frogn in Norway. Carrying three lanes, the 7,306-meter (23,970 ft) long tunnel reaches a depth of 134 meters (440 ft) below mean sea level. The tunnel has a maximum gradient of seven percent. It acts as a link connecting eastern and western Akershus county, supplementing the Moss–Horten Ferry which runs further south. The tunnel is since 2018 a part of European route E134, until 2018 it was part of National Road 23.

Sandane Airport is a regional airport serving the village of Sandane in Vestland county, Norway. It perpendicularly straddles the Anda peninsula in Gloppen Municipality between the Nordfjorden and Gloppefjorden. The airport has an asphalt runway measuring 970 by 30 meters and aligned 08/26. Services are provided by Widerøe on public service obligation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor and served 37,272 passengers in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryfast</span> Sub-sea tunnel system in Rogaland county, Norway

Ryfast is a subsea tunnel system in Rogaland county, Norway. The tunnel system is part of the Norwegian National Road 13, and it runs between the city of Stavanger in Stavanger Municipality, under a large fjord, and the area of Solbakk in the municipality of Strand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fannefjord Tunnel</span> Undersea tunnel in Molde, Norway

The Fannefjord Tunnel is a 2,743-meter (8,999 ft) long subsea road tunnel in Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tunnel is part of County Road 64 and it goes under the Fannefjorden, connecting the island of Bolsøya to the mainland at Årø, where it intersects with the European route E39 highway. The tunnel reaches a depth of −101 metres (−331 ft) in elevation with a maximum 10% grade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langfjord Tunnel</span> Subsea road tunnel in Norway

The Langfjord Tunnel is a proposed subsea road tunnel which would cross Langfjorden between Molde and Rauma in Norway. It may also be built with a branch to the island of Sekken. As part of County Road 64, the tunnel would replace the Åfarnes–Sølsnes Ferry, and allow Romsdal ferry-free access to Eastern Norway, as well as connect Molde and Rauma. If the branch is built, it would replace the Molde–Sekken Ferry, giving the island a fixed link. The main tunnel would be between 10 and 11 kilometers long, which the branch would be slightly shorter than 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) long. The tunnel would reach 330 meters (1,080 ft) below mean sea level, making it the deepest subsea tunnel in the world. It would also be the longest subsea tunnel in Norway.

Salhusfjorden is a 4-kilometer (2.5 mi) long fjord and sound between Bergen Municipality and Alver Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. To the west, it starts between the villages of Salhus and Frekhaug, where the Byfjorden meets the Herdlefjorden. To the east, the fjord ends between the village of Knarvik and the Hordvikneset peninsula, where the Osterfjorden runs northeast, the Sørfjorden runs southeast, and the Radfjorden runs north. The fjord is up to 500 meters (1,600 ft) deep. It acts as one of the borders between the districts of Midhordland to the south and Nordhordland to the north. The islands of Holsnøy and Flatøy lie along the northern side of the fjord.

The Storfjord Bridge is a proposed suspension bridge that would span Storfjorden in Sunnmøre, Norway. If built, it would be 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) long and have a main span of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft). This would make it the longest spanned bridge in the world, easily surpassing the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which has a main span of 2,023 metres (6,637 ft). The plans have been developed by Aas-Jakobsen for a Storfjordsambandet, a company which aims to toll finance the bridge. According to Rolf M. Larssen of Aas-Jakobsen, there is a larger challenge securing sufficient funding than technically building the bridge. It is estimated to cost 4.3 billion Norwegian krone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byfjord Tunnel</span> Subsea road tunnel in Norway

The Byfjord Tunnel is a subsea road tunnel in Rogaland county, Norway. The 5,875-metre-long (19,275 ft) tunnel runs between the village of Grødem on the mainland in Randaberg municipality and the island of Sokn in Stavanger municipality, running underneath the Byfjorden. The tunnel was built as part of the Rennesøy Fixed Link project which opened in 1992 with the goal of connecting all the islands of Rennesøy to the mainland. The tunnel was a toll road from 1992 until 2006. The tunnel is part of European route E39 highway. With a maximum 8% grade, the tunnel reaches a depth of 223 metres (732 ft) below sea level at its lowest point. The tunnel was Europe's longest and the world's deepest tunnel upon its completion, it was surpassed by a deeper tunnel in 1994 and a longer tunnel in 1999. The tunnel had an average daily traffic of 9,717 vehicles in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastrafjord Tunnel</span> Subsea road tunnel in Rogaland, Norway

The Mastrafjord Tunnel is a subsea road tunnel in Stavanger municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The 4,424-metre (2.75 mi) long tunnel runs under the Mastrafjorden, which flows between the islands of Mosterøy and Rennesøy. The tunnel opened in 1992 as part of the European route E39 highway and the Rennesøy Fixed Link. The southern end of the tunnel is located near the village of Askje on Mosterøy and the northern end of the tunnel is in the village of Vikevåg on Rennesøy. With a maximum grade of 8%, the tunnel reaches its deepest point at 133 metres (436 ft) below sea level.

The Bjarkøy Fixed Link is a fixed link which connects the three islands of Bjarkøya, Sandsøya, and Grytøya in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The fixed link was completed in late 2018. A subsea road tunnel connects the islands of Grytøya and Bjarkøya, and a bridge connects the islands of Grytøya and Sandsøya. The tunnel to Bjarkøya is 3.25 kilometres (2.02 mi) long. The bridge to Grytøya is 300 metres (980 ft) long plus a 900-metre (3,000 ft) long causeway. The project also included 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of new road on Grytøya to connect the existing roads to the new undersea tunnel. The Bjarkøy Tunnel is designated as part of Norwegian County Road 867, while the Sandsøya Bridge is part of Norwegian County Road 124.

National Road 13 is a national road which runs from the town of Stavanger in Rogaland county to the village of Sogndalsfjøra in Vestland county. The route is 449.9 kilometers (279.6 mi) long and runs south–north through Rogaland and Vestland counties, following a more inland path than the European route E39 highway.

National Road 23, also known as the Oslofjord Link, was the name of a 40.2 kilometers (25.0 mi) largely limited-access road which connects the municipalities of Lier, Røyken, Hurum and Frogn in Norway. The 7.2-kilometer (4.5 mi) Oslofjord Tunnel causes the road to acts as the only fixed link crossing of the Oslofjord and makes that section subject to tolls. In 2018 the road was renamed into European route E134.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryfylke Tunnel</span> Underwater road tunnel in Norway

The Ryfylke Tunnel is an undersea road tunnel in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Norwegian National Road 13 running between Stavanger and Ryfylke (district) under the Horgefjord. The tunnel is part of the Ryfast project. It is 14.4 kilometres (8.9 mi) long and is currently the world's longest subsea road tunnel, and the deepest tunnel of any kind. Both records are expected to be surpassed by Rogfast, which is projected to open in 2033.

References

↑ Kjærvik, Atle (1998). "Building the world's first underwater suspension tunnel". Gemini. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Norwegian Public Roads Administration (2004). "Beregning av gjenanskaffelsesverdien av riksvegnettet" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "Rv. 13 Solbakktunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Length is for the main tunnel from Hanasand to Ladstein. The branch to Talgje is 1,467 m (4,813 ft) long.
↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "Rv. 13 Hundvågtunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ "Åpnet Bjarkøyforbindelsene". ByggFakta (in Norwegian). Byggfakta DOCU. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration. "E39 Rogfast sub-sea road-tunnel" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration (17 June 2008). "Planprogram rv 64 Årfarnes – Sølsnes Langfjordtunnelen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Norwegian Public Roads Administration (12 June 2008). "Konseptvalutgreiing (KVU) for Sotrasambandet" (in Norwegian). p. 60. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Reite, Terje; Vestre, Trond (11 August 2009). "– Møreaksen står for tur". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Sørås, Odd (27 September 2006). "Bru eller tunnel over Storfjorden". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Bruland, Amund; Grøv, Einar; Nilsen, Bjørn (July 2010). "Trondheimsfjorden Kryssing med fjelltunnel eller rørbru/flytebru" (PDF) (in Norwegian). SINTEF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ Kothe-Næss, Thomas (8 March 2007). "Fosen- tunnel i 2015?". Adresseavisen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
↑ "Vil bygge undersjøisk vei- og kabeltunnel". Adresseavisen (in Norwegian). 23 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
↑ "Jubler ikke over tunnelforslag". Tønsbergs Blad (in Norwegian). 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.