Tunnels and bridges are an important part of the Faroese transportation network. [1]
Tunnels and bridges are an important part of the Faroese transportation network. [1]
This list shows the Faroese tunnels, listed by age: [1] [2]
| Tunnel | Year | Length m | ft | Connects | Island | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamli Hvalbiartunnilin | 1963 | 1,450 | 4,760 | Hvalba and Trongisvágur | Suðuroy | Closed for general traffic except for in special circumstances. |
| Árnafjarðartunnilin | 1965 | 1,680 | 5,510 | 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. |
| Hvannasundstunnilin | 1967 | 2,120 | 6,960 | 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. |
| Sandvíkartunnilin | 1969 | 1,500 | 4,900 | Sandvík and Hvalba | Suðuroy | Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced footpaths and post boat services. |
| Norðskálatunnilin | 1976 | 2,520 | 8,270 | 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. |
| Leynartunnilin | 1977 | 760 | 2,490 | Leynar and the valley of Kollafjarðardalur | Streymoy | Replaced an avalanche prone road. |
| Villingardalstunnilin | 1979 | 1,193 | 3,914 | The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar | Kalsoy | Southernmost of the five Kalsoy tunnels. |
| Ritudalstunnilin | 1980 | 683 | 2,241 | The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar | Kalsoy | One of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Single lane with passing places, unlit. |
| Mikladalstunnilin | 1980 | 1,082 | 3,550 | The villages of Mikladalur and Húsar | Kalsoy | One of the five Kalsoy tunnels. Single lane with passing places, unlit. |
| Trøllanestunnilin | 1985 | 2,248 | 7,375 | The 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 Djúpadal | 1979–85 | 220 | 720 | The 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. |
| Leirvíkartunnilin | 1985 | 2,238 | 7,343 | Leirvík and Gøta | Eysturoy | Replaced a cliffside road that now is a touristic route. |
| Kunoyartunnilin | 1988 | 3,031 | 9,944 | Kunoy and Haraldssund | Kunoy | Single lane with passing places, unlit. Replaced a ferry crossing. |
| Kollafjarðartunnilin | 1992 | 2,816 | 9,239 | Kollafjørður and Kaldbaksbotnur | Streymoy | Offers an alternative to the Oyrarvegurin mountain road, which is prone to icing and wind gusts in winter. |
| Sumbiartunnilin | 1997 | 3,240 | 10,630 | Sumba and Lopra | Suðuroy | Replaces a mountain pass that now is a touristic route. |
| Vágatunnilin | 2002 | 4,940 | 16,210 | Leynar and Fútaklett | Streymoy and Vágar | The first undersea tunnel. Replaced the Vestmanna-Vágar ferry. |
| Gásadalstunnilin | 2006 | 1,445 | 4,741 | Gásadalur and Bøur | Vágar | Single lane with passing places. Replaced the footpath and helicopter service. |
| Norðoyatunnilin | 2006 | 6,186 | 20,295 | Klaksvík and Leirvík | Eysturoy and Borðoy | Replaced the Leirvík-Klaksvík and Leirvík-Kalsoy-Klaksvík ferry. |
| Hovstunnilin | 2007 | 2,435 | 7,989 | Øravík and Hov | Suðuroy | Replaced the cliffside road that now is a touristic route. |
| Viðareiðistunnilin | 2016 | 1,939 | 6,362 | Viðareiði with Hvannasund | Viðoy | Replaced the coastal road, which is prone to landslides and avalanches, but remains open as a touristic route. |
| Eysturoyartunnilin | 2020 | 11,250 | 36,910 | 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 | 2021 | 2,524 | 8,281 | Hvalba and Trongisvágur | Suðuroy | Dual lane, lit. Replaces the Old Hvalbiartunnilin from 1963. |
| Sandoyartunnilin | 2023 | 10,785 | 35,384 | Traðardalur 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] |
| Sum | 68,285 | 224,032 | 9 islands | 4 inter-island tunnels, 18 on-island tunnels in use, 1 on-island tunnel closed for general traffic. | ||
This list shows the longest Faroese bridges and causeways, listed by age:
| Bridge | Year | Length m | ft | Connects | Island | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brúgvin um Streymin | 1973 | 220 | 720 | Oyrarbakki/Norðskáli and Nesvík | Streymoy and Eysturoy | Concrete bridge. Replaced the ferry crossing from Nesvík to Oyrarbakki. |
| Byrging um Hvannasund | 1975 | 220 | 720 | Hvannasund and Norðdepil | Borðoy and Viðoy | Causeway. Replaced post and milk boat services. |
| Byrging um Haraldssund | 1986 | 350 | 1,150 | Haraldssund and Strond | Borðoy and Kunoy | Causeway. Replaced post and milk boat services.  |
| Brúgvin um Sandá | 2016 | 140 | 460 | Argir and Tórshavn | Streymoy | The second longest bridge in the country. [5] |
| Tunnel | Year | Approx. length m | ft | Connects | Island | Comments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalstunnilin | Started in 2020, planned to open in 2024 | 2,165 | 7,103 | 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 Árnafjarðartunnilin | 2024 | 1,961 | 6,434 | 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 Hvannasundstunnilin | 2025 | 2,265 | 7,431 | 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. | |
| Fámjinstunnilin | Started in 2022, planned to open in 2024 | 1,200 | 3,900 | 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 2025 | 1,300 | 4,265 | Two 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) | 2025 | 1,705 | 5,594 | 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] | |
| Tunnel | Year | Length m | ft | Connects | Island | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamli Hvalbiartunnilin | 1963 | 1,450 | 4,760 | 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. |
| Tunnel | Year | Approx. length m | ft | Connects | Island | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suðuroyartunnilin | 2030+ | 22,800 | 74,800 | Skarvanes and |Sandvík | 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] |
| Vestmannatunnilin | unknown | 4,500 | 14,800 | 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] |
| Tjørnuvíkartunnilin | unknown | 0 | 0 | Tjørnuvík with Haldórsvík | Streymoy | To replace the narrow cliffside road. [26] Construction could be starting in 2024. [27] |
| Gøtudalstunnilin | unknown | 0 | 0 | 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 Vagum | unknown | 0 | 0 | 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] |
| Gjáartunnilin | unknown | 0 | 0 | Gjógv with Funningur | Eysturoy | To replace the narrow mountain pass, prone to icing in winter. [30] |
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]
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