Deep under the sea, one of Norway’s most ambitious modern civil engineering projects is coming to life. The country is building Rogfast, a massive underwater tunnel that will traverse the well-known Norwegian fjords and connect parts of the county of Rogaland. Rogfast will be the world’s longest and deepest of its kind, measuring more than 26 kilometers.
The tunnel, which is a section of the coastal highway E39, will connect the regions between Stavanger and Haugesund, two important cities on Norway’s southwest coast, according to Euronews. Ferries are now the only way for drivers to cross the water between these areas. Cars and trucks will be able to drive directly under the seabed once Rogfast is operational, saving over 40 minutes of travel time. A record-breaking construction, according to the news, that will change the way communities on opposite sides of the fjords stay connected.
A record-breaking tunnel under the sea
According to Euronews, when Rogfast passes beneath the fjords between Randaberg and Bokn, it will descend as far as 390 meters below sea level. The project is extremely difficult due to its extreme depth and length. Just excavating a tunnel is not enough; engineers have to design a system that guarantees public safety over long distances and under extreme water pressure.
Rogfast needs more advanced techniques in crucial things like ventilation, emergency evacuation, drainage, and structural safety than other sea tunnels right now use. Every component of the design needs to be able to manage regular traffic while being prepared for rare but dangerous events, like accidents or fires, that happen far below the surface.
The tunnel is more than just a local shortcut because it is a part of E39, the coastal highway that connects southern and northern Norway along the Atlantic.
Economic and environmental impact
Ferries between Stavanger and Haugesund can be slow these days, rely on the weather, and have set schedules. Traffic will move more steadily with Rogfast. Euronews Next claims that this change can increase tourism and business activity by facilitating more efficient transportation of goods throughout Rogaland and making it easier for people to travel to and from work or family.
The project aims to reduce CO₂ emissions from maritime transportation by closing some ferry routes too. Ferries use a lot of fuel and are constantly starting, stopping, or inactive. Norway believes these emissions should be cut and a more sustainable mobility model should be supported by a direct road connection beneath the sea.
Of course, it costs a lot to build such a structure. The Norwegian government and future fees paid by tunnel users are contributing to the estimated cost of over 2 billion euro—assuming no major geological surprises or financial difficulties arise—and the construction is anticipated to continue for the better part of this decade, with an opening date set for 2033.
Norway: leading underwater tunnel construction.
There are already a few of subsea road tunnels in the country, but none are as large as Rogfast. Everything is taken to the next level with this new project.
It’s sometimes still amazing for me to think how far is advanced technology taking us these days, a long time ago someone invented the bridges, and today we travel also underground, and even under the see.
If the project is successfully finished, it will prove that extremely deep and lengthy underwater tunnel projects not only are functional, but it might become example for other nations that have difficulties getting to certain parts of their countries due to land or environmental situations.
And it would transforms the beautiful—but sometimes difficult to get to—Norwegian fjords, into connections (and a new record-breaking construction).