Héðinsfjarðargöng (, ) are two road tunnels in northern

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, connecting

Ólafsfjörður Ólafsfjörður () is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth of the fjord Eyjafjörður. The town is connected to Dalvík on Eyjafjörður by the 3.5 km one-lane Múli tunnel (the ''Múlagöng'') and to Siglufjörður by the ...

and

Siglufjörður Siglufjörður () is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland. The population in 2011 was 1,206; the town has been shrinking in size since the 1950s when the town reached its peak of 3,000 inhabit ...

. They were opened on October 2, 2010. The total cost was around ISK 12 billion ($106 million).

Social, economic and cultural impact of the tunnels

In 2008, a seven-year research project was initiated to evaluate the social, economic, and cultural impact of the Héðinsfjörður tunnels. The project was directed by Professor Thoroddur Bjarnason and implemented by a research team at the

University of Akureyri The University of Akureyri ( , regionally also ) was founded in 1987 in the town of Akureyri in the northeastern part of Iceland. It is today a school of Humanities and Social science, and a school of Health, Business and Natural science. Over 280 ...

. The results showed the tunnel traffic was above expectations. There is considerable commuting between Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður, and the vast majority of residents travel between them for shopping, services, events, and social participation. The regional economy has been strengthened, and satisfaction with prices and diversity of goods and services has increased. Siglufjörður has become part of the

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

tourism region and a destination for tourists between

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

and the

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

capital region. There has not been an increase in the number of overnight stays, and the predicted tourism circle around the

Tröllaskagi Tröllaskagi () is a peninsula in northern Iceland on the Greenland Sea, between the fjords of Eyjafjörður and Skagafjörður. The peninsula is mountainous, with several peaks reaching over 1,000 meters above sea level, the tallest being Kerlin ...

peninsula has not materialized. The services of state and municipality have been reduced, in part as result of the

economic crisis of 2008 The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

. Residents are more satisfied with their educational opportunities but less satisfied with policing and access to health services. Tensions between residents of the two towns do not appear to have increased, even though Ólafsfjörður residents tend to think that they do not receive their fair share in public services. A population increase has been observed in Siglufjörður, while population decline appears to have been halted in Ólafsfjörður. There has in particular been an increase in the number of younger women, young children, and foreign citizens, and young people are more likely to expect to stay in their home community.

External links

Iceland Review article

Official information brochure in Icelandic

References

Road tunnels in Iceland Tunnels completed in 2010 Buildings and structures in Northeastern Region (Iceland) {{Europe-tunnel-stub