The Vágatunnilin (Vágar Tunnel) is a long
undersea road tunnel in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. It goes under Vestmannasund strait and connects the two islands of
Streymoy and
Vágar
Vágar ( da, Vågø) is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the ''large islands''. With a size of , it ranks number three, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy. Vágar region also comprises the island ...
. The tunnel was the first sub-sea tunnel in the Faroe Islands, and connects the capital of
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
on Streymoy with
Vágar Airport
Vágar Airport ( fo, Vága Floghavn) is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, and is located east of the village of Sørvágur, on the island of Vágar. Due to the Faroe Islands' status as a self-governing territory, the airport is not subje ...
on Vágar.
History
Surveyor drills were executed in 1988, and construction was planned to start in 1989. However, due to the onset of the economic crisis, almost all infrastructural projects were suspended, including the Vágatunnilin. Only the construction of
Gamlarætt
Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of Velbastaður and Kirkjubøur. It accommodates ferry services to the isl ...
, a new ferry port to
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
, continued. After the false start, the second attempt for construction started on 28 September 2000. The opening for public traffic was 10 December 2002. Traffic has steadily increased from 359,440 vehicles in 2003 to 952,300 in 2019 (2,609 per day).
Before the opening date there was a ferry across the Vestmannasund between
Vestmanna
Vestmanna is a town in the Faroe Islands on the west of the island of Streymoy.
It was formerly a ferry port, until an undersea tunnel, the Vágatunnilin, was built from Vágar to Kvívík and Stykkið further south on Streymoy. The cliffs w ...
and Oyrargjógv operated by
Strandfaraskip Landsins. Both ferry docks are now in disuse.
Characteristics
It has a two-lane wide road. The deepest point is below sea level. There is a road toll which is used to pay the maintenance for the tunnel construction. The investment of 240 million
Danish kroner was paid back at 10 December 2016, exactly 14 years after opening.
[http://www.logting.fo/files/casewrittenquestion/637/027.16%20Spurningur%20til%20logmann%20fra%20J.Niclasen%20-%20Vagatunnilin.pdf ]
See also
*
List of tunnels of the Faroe Islands
Tunnels and bridges are an important part of the Faroese transportation network.
Tunnels
This list shows the Faroese tunnels, listed by age:
Bridges and causeways
This list shows the longest Faroese bridges and causeways, listed by age:
...
References
External links
The tunnel toll company(English)
Tunnels in the Faroe Islands
Undersea tunnels in Europe
Tunnels completed in 2002
2002 establishments in the Faroe Islands
Road tunnels
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