List of tunnels of the Faroe Islands

Last updated

Arnafjardartunnilin's entrance in Arnafjordur. Arnafjardartunnilin.jpg
Árnafjarðartunnilin's entrance in Árnafjørður.
Red: Islands or the so-called Mainland connected by road (bridge, dam or tunnel), as of December 2023. Yellow: Island that would be connected with the Suduroyartunnilin. Green: Islands accessible only by water or air. Faroe islands linked by road.png
Red: Islands or the so-called Mainland connected by road (bridge, dam or tunnel), as of December 2023. Yellow: Island that would be connected with the Suðuroyartunnilin. Green: Islands accessible only by water or air.

Tunnels and bridges are an important part of the Faroese transportation network. [1]

Contents

Tunnels

Locations of the tunnels Map of the tunnels of the Faroe Islands.png
Locations of the tunnels

This list shows the Faroese tunnels, listed by age: [1] [2]

TunnelYearLength
m | ft
ConnectsIslandComments
Gamli Hvalbiartunnilin 19631,4504,760 Hvalba and Trongisvágur Suðuroy Closed for general traffic except for in special circumstances.
Árnafjarðartunnilin19651,6805,510 Ánir, Klaksvík and Árnafjørður Borðoy One of the pair of Tunlarnir norður um Fjall (or alternatively known as Borðoyartunlarnir). Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced footpaths and post boat services. To be replaced by a modern tunnel in 2024.
Hvannasundstunnilin19672,1206,960 Árnafjørður and Hvannasund/Norðdepil Borðoy One of the pair of Tunlarnir norður um Fjall (or alternatively known as Borðoyartunlarnir). Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced footpaths and post boat services. To be replaced by a modern tunnel in 2025.
Sandvíkartunnilin19691,5004,900 Sandvík and Hvalba Suðuroy Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced footpaths and post boat services.
Norðskálatunnilin19762,5208,270 Norðskáli and the valley of Millum Fjarða Eysturoy First two-lane tunnel. First road connection between Southern Eysturoy and Northern Eysturoy. Replaced the Hósvík-Selatrað ferry crossing.
Leynartunnilin19777602,490 Leynar and the valley of Kollafjarðardalur Streymoy Replaced an avalanche prone road.
Villingardalstunnilin19791,1933,914The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar Kalsoy Southernmost of the five Kalsoy tunnels.
Ritudalstunnilin19806832,241The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar Kalsoy One of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Single lane with passing places, unlit.
Mikladalstunnilin19801,0823,550The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar Kalsoy One of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Single lane with passing places, unlit.
Trøllanestunnilin19852,2487,375The villages of Trøllanes and Mikladalur Kalsoy Northernmost of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced a footpath, post boat service and helicopter service (1983-1985).
Teymur í Djúpadal1979–85220720The Trøllanestunnilin and the uninhabited valley of Djúpidalur Kalsoy One of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Effectively a branch of the Trøllanestunnilin to enable road access to pastures. Single lane, unlit.
Leirvíkartunnilin19852,2387,343 Leirvík and Gøta Eysturoy Replaced a cliffside road that now is a touristic route.
Kunoyartunnilin19883,0319,944 Kunoy and Haraldssund Kunoy Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced a ferry crossing.
Kollafjarðartunnilin19922,8169,239 Kollafjørður and Kaldbaksbotnur Streymoy Offers an alternative to the Oyrarvegurin mountain road, which is prone to icing and wind gusts in winter.
Sumbiartunnilin19973,24010,630 Sumba and Lopra Suðuroy Replaces a mountain pass that now is a touristic route.
Vágatunnilin 20024,94016,210 Leynar and Fútaklett Streymoy and Vágar The first undersea tunnel. Replaced the Vestmanna-Vágar ferry.
Gásadalstunnilin 20061,4454,741 Gásadalur and Bøur Vágar Single lane with passing places. Replaced the footpath and helicopter service.
Norðoyatunnilin 20066,18620,295 Klaksvík and Leirvík Eysturoy and Borðoy Replaced the Leirvík-Klaksvík and Leirvík-Kalsoy-Klaksvík ferry.
Hovstunnilin20072,4357,989 Øravík and Hov Suðuroy Replaced the cliffside road that now is a touristic route.
Viðareiðistunnilin20161,9396,362 Viðareiði with Hvannasund Viðoy Replaced the coastal road, which is prone to landslides and avalanches, but remains open as a touristic route.
Eysturoyartunnilin 202011,25036,910 Runavík and Strendur with Tórshavn Streymoy and Eysturoy Under Sundini and Skálafjørður. The tunnel has shortened the travel distance from Tórshavn to Runavík/Strendur from 55 kilometres to 17 kilometres. The 64-minute drive has been shortened to 17 minutes. The tunnel has the world's first under-sea roundabout at mid-bay. [3]
Nýggi Hvalbiartunnilin 20212,5248,281 Hvalba and Trongisvágur Suðuroy Dual lane, lit. Replaces the Old Hvalbiartunnilin from 1963.
Sandoyartunnilin 202310,78535,384Traðardalur and Gamlarætt Streymoy and Sandoy The tunnel starts just above the port of Gamlarætt and ends Traðardalur between Skopun and Sandur. The tunnel opened on 21 December 2023. [4]
Sum68,285224,0329 islands4 inter-island tunnels, 18 on-island tunnels in use, 1 on-island tunnel closed for general traffic.

Bridges and causeways

This list shows the longest Faroese bridges and causeways, listed by age:

BridgeYearLength
m | ft
ConnectsIslandComments
Brúgvin um Streymin 1973220720 Oyrarbakki/Norðskáli and Nesvík Streymoy and Eysturoy Concrete bridge. Replaced the ferry crossing from Nesvík to Oyrarbakki.
Byrging um Hvannasund1975220720 Hvannasund and Norðdepil Borðoy and Viðoy Causeway. Replaced post and milk boat services.
Byrging um Haraldssund19863501,150 Haraldssund and Strond Borðoy and Kunoy Causeway. Replaced post and milk boat services.
Causeway between Kunoy (left) and Bordoy (right). Causeway Kunoy.JPG
Causeway between Kunoy (left) and Borðoy (right).
Brúgvin um Sandá2016140460 Argir and Tórshavn Streymoy The second longest bridge in the country. [5]

Tunnels under construction

TunnelYearApprox. length
m | ft
ConnectsIslandComments
DalstunnilinStarted in 2020, planned to open in 20242,1657,103 Dalur with Húsavík Sandoy To replace the narrow cliffside road. Drilling commenced 5 November 2020. [6] [7] On 17 November 2022 the halfway mark was passed. [8] The tunnel is expected to open in 2024.
Nýggi Árnafjarðartunnilin20241,9616,434 Klaksvík, Ánir and Árnafjørður Borðoy One of the two Nýggir (new) Tunlarnir norður um Fjall (or alternatively Nýggir) Borðoyartunlarnir). Construction commenced in February 2021, the drilling itself started in November 2021. [9] [10] Drilling finished on 8 November 2022. [11] What will happen with the old tunnel remains unknown.
Nýggi Hvannasundstunnilin20252,2657,431 Árnafjørður and Norðdepil Borðoy One of the two new Tunlarnir norður um Fjall (also named Borðoyartunlarnir). Construction started in November 2021 [12] [13] [10] Drilling finished on 16 November 2022. [14] What will happen with the old tunnels remains unknown.
FámjinstunnilinStarted in 2022, planned to open in 20241,2003,900 Øravík with Fámjin Suðuroy Road access to Fámjin has been prone to fierce winds and icing. The tender for construction opened in July 2020. [15] Construction of access roads commenced 25 July 2022 while drilling started on 16 November 2022. The tunnel is to be finished mid-2024. [16] [17]
Tunnil úr Villingadali (fyrstur Havnartunnilin)Started in May 2023, planned to open in 20251,3004,265Two neighbourhoods in Tórshavn Streymoy Drilling started on 8 May 2023. [18] To be part of the Innkomuvegurin that is currently being developed between Tórshavn (near Hotel Føroyar), Hoyvík and Hvítanes. The ringroad is to be operational in 2025 [19]
Húsareynistunnilin (annar Havnartunnilin)20251,7055,594 Hvítanes and Hoyvík Streymoy To be part of the Innkomuvegurin that is currently being developed between Tórshavn (near Hotel Føroyar), Hoyvík and Hvítanes. The ringroad is to be operational in 2025 [19] [20] [21]

Tunnels closed for traffic

TunnelYearLength
m | ft
ConnectsIslandComments
Gamli Hvalbiartunnilin 19631,4504,760 Hvalba and Trongisvágur Suðuroy Single lane with passing places, unlit. The old tunnel is closed for traffic, but remains available in case of maintenance or emergencies in the new tunnel.

Proposed tunnels

TunnelYearApprox. length
m | ft
ConnectsIslandComments
Suðuroyartunnilin 2030+25,00082,000 Sandvík, Skúvoy and Sandur Sandoy and Suðuroy The tunnel would consist of two new tunnels or one long tunnel with a branch to Skúvoy, not including upgrades of infrastructure such as the Sandvíkartunnilin. [22] [23]
Vestmannatunnilinunknown4,50014,800 Kvívík and Vestmanna Streymoy To replace the cliffside road, prone to icing, rockslides and windgusts. The tunnel would be combined with a tunnel for powerlines from Vestmanna's hydropower station, and would not be ready before 2029. [24] The estimated costs are 500 million DKK. [25]
Tjørnuvíkartunnilinunknown00 Tjørnuvík with Haldórsvík Streymoy To replace the narrow cliffside road. [26] Construction could be starting in 2024. [27]
Gøtudalstunnilinunknown00 Skálafjørður and Norðragøta Eysturoy To offer an alternative to the Gøtueiði mountain pass near Søldarfjørður, which is prone to icing and windgusts. [28] Construction start planned 2026. [29]
Tunnilin á Vagumunknown00 Vágatunnilin and Vatnsoyrar Vágar A bypass for through-traffic between Sørvágur, the airport and Streymoy, bypassing Mið- and Sandavágur. Construction planned 2027 or later. [29]
Gjáartunnilinunknown00 Gjógv with Funningur Eysturoy To replace the narrow mountain pass, prone to icing in winter. [30]

Operator

Public works authority Landsverk operates the national road network including all land-based tunnels. The four sub-sea tunnels have each their own state-owned company brought together under the daily management of Tunnil, which administers the tolls. These are paid by drivers at select petrol stations, via number plate recognition. Reduced fares are available for vehicles with a subscription (in Faroese: hald). Tórshavn Municipality owns the Sandá Bridge. [31] A 2022 poll suggested continued support for toll charges. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the Faroe Islands</span> Internal transport system of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands is served by an internal transport system based on roads, ferries, and helicopters. As of the 1970s, the majority of the population centres of the Faroe Islands have been joined to a single road network, connected by bridges and tunnels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strandfaraskip Landsins</span> Government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands

Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (Fíggjamálaráðið) and runs seven ferry routes and a number of bus routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vigdis Sigmundsdóttir</span> Faroese artist (1934–2023)

Vigdis Sigmundsdóttir was an artist from the Faroe Islands, known internationally for producing a collage of 12 motives from Ormurin Langi that resulted in a series of stamps from Postverk Føroya released in 2006.

Uni Jógvanson Arge is a Faroese journalist, writer, musician, singer and a former international football striker.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Faroe Islands since 1 July 2017. Legislation allowing same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples was approved by the Løgting on 29 April 2016. The Danish Parliament approved the necessary legislative adaptations on 25 April 2017, and the law received royal assent on 3 May and went into effect on 1 July 2017.

The Tour of Faroe Islands is a road cycling race held in the Faroe Islands. The race consists of a men's, women's and juniors' competition over a prologue and four or five stages, which are for elite cyclists and shorter distances for non-elite cyclists. From 2011 to 2013, the race was changed to four stages in three days. The first edition of the Kring Føroyar tour was held in 1996 but it was not an official race; the 1997 Tour was the first official edition of the race. The race is normally held in July shortly before Ólavsøka. In 2012 the race was held from 20 July to 22 July. The last day of the race is held in Tórshavn, and the roads are closed for traffic on that day. In 2015 the race will be held from 22–26 July. For sponsor reasons the name of the tour was Statoil Kring Føroyar, and later when the Faroese company changed its name from Statoil to Effo, the tour was called Effo Kring Føroyar. In 2014 the race got a new main sponsor and the name was changed to Volvo Kring Føroyar. As of 2015, the length of the race is 430 kilometres (270 mi) for elite cyclists and 230 kilometres (140 mi) for youth and senior cyclists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sjúrður Skaale</span> Faroese politician

Sjúrður Skaale is a Faroese politician, journalist, skydiver, belly dancer, and comedian. He is a member of the Folketing for the Social Democratic Party. From 2008 to 2011 he was a member of the Løgting.

Jens Pauli Heinesen was a Faroese writer. He received the Faroese Literature Prize four times and the Faroese Cultural Prize once. From 1968 to 1975, Heinesen was president of the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands. He wrote novels, short stories, poems, plays, a children's book, and translated books from foreign languages into Faroese.

Marianna Debes Dahl is a Faroese writer. She was born in 1947 in Vestmanna and grew up in Tórshavn. She trained as a school teacher in 1975 and worked in that capacity for some years, but now is a full-time writer; she has also prepared broadcasting material for Faroese radio. She was the president for the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands from 1980 to 1981, being the first woman to hold this post. She was also the first woman to write an autobiography in Faroese, which she published as Úti á leysum oyggjum in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bárður Oskarsson</span> Faroese childrens writer, illustrator and artist

Bárður Oskarsson is a Faroese children's writer, illustrator and artist, who has won several literary awards. His books have been translated into Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, French, German and Czech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eysturoyartunnilin</span> Undersea road tunnel under the Tangafjørður sound in the Faroe Islands

Eysturoyartunnilin is a large undersea road tunnel under the Tangafjørður sound in the Faroe Islands, connecting the island of Streymoy to the island of Eysturoy. It also crosses the southern part of Skálafjørður, and connects the towns of Runavík on the eastern side and Strendur on the western side of the fjord, and includes the world's first undersea roundabout in the middle of the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poul Michelsen</span> Faroese businessman and former politician

Poul Johan Sundberg Michelsen is a Faroese business man and former politician. He was the leader of Progress (Framsókn), which he and others established in 2011. Before the establishment of Progress, he was a member of People's Party (Fólkaflokkurin). In March 2020 he chose to leave the Parliament and ending his political career after struggling with sequelae of a stroke for some months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandoyartunnilin</span> Undersea road tunnel in the Faroe Islands

Sandoyartunnilin is an undersea road tunnel in the Faroe Islands. It connects the main island of Streymoy with Sandoy to the south. The length of the tunnel is 10.8 kilometres (6.7 mi) and the estimated cost is 860 million DKK. The tunnel opened for traffic on 21 December 2023, after which the ferry Teistin ceased its route between Gamlarætt on Streymoy and Skopun on Sandoy. The tunnel crosses the Skopunarfjørður and runs from Gamlarætt to Traðardalur in central Sandoy, near the Inni í Dal stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bjørt Samuelsen</span> Faroese journalist, master in food science and politician

Bjørt Samuelsen is a Faroese journalist, master in food science and politician (Republic).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanna Jensen</span> Faroese high school teacher and liberal politician

Hanna Jensen is a Faroese high school teacher and a liberal politician (Progress).

Energy in the Faroe Islands is produced primarily from imported fossil fuels, with further contributions from hydro and wind power. Oil products are the main energy source, mainly consumed by fishing vessels and sea transport. Electricity is produced by oil, hydropower and wind farms, mainly by SEV, which is owned by all the municipalities of the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are not connected by power lines with continental Europe, and thus the archipelago cannot import or export electricity.

The 2019 Faroe Islands Cup was the 65th edition of Faroe Islands domestic football cup. It started on 30 March and ended with the final on 21 September. B36 Tórshavn were the defending champions, having won their sixth cup title the previous year, but lost to KÍ in the quarterfinals. As the winner of the competition, HB qualified to the preliminary round of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in March 2020. The confirmed infection rate was 1 case per 280 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in the world, but the archipelago also tested at a very high frequency, with the number of tests equaling c. 34 per cent of the population. As of 28 February 2022, there have been 34648 confirmed cases. Among these, 31 persons have died with COVID-19.

The Hvalbiartunnilin is the name applied to two tunnels on the island of Suðuroy, the most southerly of the Faroe Islands. The original Hvalbiartunnilin is the oldest tunnel in the country, while the new Hvalbiartunnilin is the newest. Both tunnels connect the villages of Hvalba and Trongisvágur. The tunnels are owned and maintained by the public works authority Landsverk.

The Suðuroyartunnilin is a proposed submerged fixed-link in the Faroe Islands, linking the island of Suðuroy to Sandoy. As of 2023, all vehicles and cargo, and virtually all passenger traffic must use the ferry service.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tunlar" (in Faroese). Tórshavn: Landsverk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  2. "Søgulig gongd" (in Faroese). Tórshavn: Landsverk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  3. "The Eysturoy tunnel". estunlar.fo. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  4. "Siglir nú seinastu túrarnar um skopunarfjørð". Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  5. "Brúgvin um Sandá – J&K Contractors".
  6. "Lata fyrsta skotið av". dagur.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  7. "Dalstunnilin skotin ígjøgnum í november". Kringvarp Føroya. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  8. "Dalstunnilin – helvtin borað". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  9. "Loysa fyrsta flagið fyri tunlum". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  10. 1 2 "Gongdin fyri tunlarnar norður um Fjall". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  11. "Síðsta skotið í Árnafjarðartunlinum". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  12. "Boringin byrjar í næstu viku". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  13. "Fegnast um nýggjar tunlar". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  14. "Síðsta skotið latið í tunlunum norður um Fjalll". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  15. "Bjóða tunlar út í juli".
  16. "Vegagerðin til Fámjinstunnilin byrjað". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  17. "Fyrsta skotið latið av fyri Fámjinstunlinum". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  18. "Skjóta nú fyrsta skotið á fyrsta havnartunlinum". www.dimma.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  19. 1 2 "Kanna møguleika at gera tunnil ovarliga í Havn". www.in.fo. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  20. "Avtalan um innkomuveg og tunnil undirskrivað". Tórshavnar kommuna (in Faroese). 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  21. "Húsareynstunnilin skotin ígjøgnum í næsta mánaði". Dagur.fo (in Faroese). 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  22. "Suðuroy subsea tunnel research shows early promise". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). 26 November 2018.
  23. "Minister: Suðuroy tunnel ready in 2030". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). 5 February 2020.
  24. "Fundur um komandi vestmannatunnilin mánakvøldið". dagur.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  25. "Vestmannatunnil". www.landsverk.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  26. Landsverk. "Borgarafundur í Tjørnuvík um Tjørnuvíkartunnil (Citizen consultation meeting in Tjørnuvík about Tjørnuvíkartunnilin)". Landsverk. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  27. "Fara undir Tjørnuvíkartunnilin næsta ár". dagur.fo (in Faroese). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  28. "Gøtudalstunnil".
  29. 1 2 "Farið verður undir tunnilin til Vestmanna í 2022".
  30. "Samferðsluætlanin 2018-2030".
  31. "Brúgvin um Sandá".
  32. "Poll: tunnel toll charge should continue". Kringvarp Føroya (in Faroese). 7 May 2022.