Hey, what's going on in Norway? Have you heard about this wonder – the longest underwater tunnel in the world? Yes, that's right. Not just underwater, but deep, man, very deep. And it's no joke. I'll tell you about it.
Rogfast: Journey Beneath the Waves
Why? Well, because it will shorten the journey. It will save time. You won't have to crawl with ferries, especially on that west coast. You know, in Norway. To get to work. To get home. You understand, right? But wait, the tunnel is a whole 27 kilometers long! It's called Rogfast. An abbreviation of some complex Norwegian word. It means "fixed connection". Is it clear?
And its deepest point is... Can you imagine? 392 meters below sea level. Wow! Construction started back in 2018. But what's happening? They stop. Because of money. Costs have exceeded the limit. Contracts – terminated. Confusion. Then – they start again. In 2021. And it's expected to be ready... well, in 2033. Good, right? It will cost around 25 billion Norwegian kroner. Just like that! About $2.4 billion. Well, it's not a small amount, but... still.
Faster and More Reliable
Anne Brit Moen, from the company that's building it, says the tunnel will improve connections. Between Stavanger and Haugesund. Travel will be faster. Safer. Ferries? Forget them. Between Bergen and Stavanger, the travel time will decrease by a whole 40 minutes. Every day! It will be easier. Can you imagine?
The tunnel will have two separate tubes. Two lanes of traffic in each. For cars only. And – attention! – in the middle there will be a roundabout. Under the sea. 260 meters deep. It will connect the tunnel with the island of Kvitsøy. The smallest municipality in Norway. Unique, right?
Technological Challenge
Digging something like this underwater is no joke. A big problem. The teams are digging from both ends. They have to meet. With an error of... attention! Only 5 centimeters. How does it happen? With lasers, man! High technology. Scanner with mirrors. Two million data points per second! To create a digital twin of the tunnel. And compare it with the plans. To catch the mistakes.
Burkhard Böckem, technical director of one of the companies, says it's not romance. There is no surveyor with equipment. But it is important. The error is small. Saves money. Waste. Emissions. Because if there's a deviation, more material has to be removed. To be filled in again. Trucks, trucks... It's not just risk. But also finance.
More on the Topic
Rogfast is part of a large plan. For a coastal highway. 1100 kilometers. From Trondheim to Kristiansand. Now it takes 21 hours and seven ferries. The goal is to have no ferries. Tunnels and bridges. And to halve the time. Completion? At the earliest, in 2050. How much more time!
Moen says Rogfast is ambitious. The construction is not without problems. "The main problem so far has been finding good methods for sealing the rocks," she says. "We are now 300 meters underwater and we have leaks of salt water. We need to find solutions”.
What else? Measures to protect drivers. From air pollution. Ventilation. Shafts. Incident warning system. Cameras and radars. And yet...
Losses and Benefits
Loss of jobs from ferries. But there will be more work elsewhere. Access to other places. The economy will improve. Fishing too. Less expenses. Companies will operate in a larger territory. Construction creates work. Sustainable development. What else?
For reference. The longest tunnel with an underwater section is in Japan. Railway. 53.85 kilometers. Underwater – 23.3 km. The Channel Tunnel is shorter – 50.46 km. But its underwater section is longer. 37.9 km. Rogfast, however, will be deeper.
Will it be like that? Who knows.