Imagine if there was a route that could cut down driving time by significant number of hours, a route that didn’t follow the boundary of the water body but actually went under water! Norwegian government is the first one to come up with this insane idea of floating underwater traffic tunnel. Realizing that the west side of Norway is made up of 1,190 fjords which makes travelling along the coastline an arduous task. Therefore, the government has decided to build the world’s first ever floating underwater traffic tunnel.
At the moment, it takes 21 hours to drive from Kritiansand (in the south) to Trondheim (in the north), and it’s not just the drive, it requires SEVEN ferry crossings! Hence, keeping in mind the torturously long drive, The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has come up with the idea of the first ever underwater traffic tunnel which would be located in the Norwegian Sea. However, the cost is considerably high i.e. $25 billion, but it will definitely be a source of comfort for the Norwegians.
Image: NPRA
This floating underwater traffic tunnel will consist of two, 4000 foot-long, curved concrete tubes that will be placed 66 feet below the Norwegian Sea. The tunnels are going to be placed across the fjords from Kritiansand to Trondheim, and they will enter the bedrock beneath the fjord on each side.
Now, you must be wondering how stable the tunnel will be since it’s floating. Well, it will be attached to the pontoons on the surface of the sea, and there will be gaps between the pontoons so that the movement of the ferries isn’t hindered. NPRA is thinking of combining the underwater tunnel with a bridge as an alternative.
Image: NPRA
Image: NPRA
In addition to this, the organization is also planning to build a 12,139-foot-long suspension bridge which means it’ll be three times the length of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, and will break the current world record of the longest bridge by twofold! If that gave you goosebumps, wait till you read on. The towers that will hold the suspension bridge in place will be 492 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower which means a total height of 1,476 feet!
Image: NPRA
Image: NPRA
The project is to be completed by the year 2035. Let’s hope we live that long to see it happen!
Source: The Norwegian Public Roads Administration