27 kilometers under the sea to avoid fjords

Norway has underway A series of megaconstructions that aim to beat numerous records. It is not for less, because it is a country with a very particular geography in which certain types of infrastructure are necessary to opt for certain comforts. One of the most surprising is undoubtedly Rogfast, a four -lane submarine tunnel that will connect the districts of Randaberg and Bokn through 27 kilometers under the sea. This megaobra promises to revolutionize transport on the Norway west coast and drastically reduce travel times on one of the most traveled routes in the country.

Fjords don’t make it easy. The E39 coastal road, which travels 1,100 kilometers from Trondheim to Kristiansand, is interrupted seven times by fjords that force Ferris. This turns a direct journey into a 21 -hour odyssey. Rogfast will eliminate one of these interruptions and will cut 11 hours of the total tripbenefiting millions of people who move to the cities of Stavanger and Bergen.

Record figures. The tunnel will reach a maximum depth of 400 meters below sea level and extended 27 kilometers, officially becoming The longest road submarine tunnel in the world. It will surpass the current record, the Norwegian Lærdal tunnel of 24.5 kilometers, which crosses mountains but does not go under the sea. Turning Rogfast will take approximately 35 minutes and will have an underground roundabout at 250 meters deep to give access to Kvitsøy island.

Image: Telegraph

A technical and economical challenge. The works began in 2018 with an initial budget of about 1,838 million euros, although experts estimate that the total cost of modernizing the entire E39 could reach more than 40,000 million euros. The Norwegian government will finance 40% of the projectwhile the rest will recover through a toll of about 34 euros per use. The construction suffered several delays, especially during the pandemic, but maintains its scheduled completion date for 2033.

Beyond travel cutting. Engineers have designed a special artistic project to combat monotony and anxiety that a tunnel can cause so extensive. The system promises to include dynamic lighting and decorative elements that will create a sensation of orientation and make the underground path more bearable. The idea is that drivers perceive travel time as shorter than it really is.

Goodbye Ferris. Rogfast is part of a larger plan to completely eliminate the Ferris of the E39 and connect the entire Norway west coast with fixed infrastructure. Some sections will require “floating” tunnels anchored to the seabed due to the excessive depth of certain fjords. If the project is successful, Norway will have shown that it is possible to create a completely terrestrial coastal highway in one of the most challenging geographic territories in the world.

Cover image | Implane

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