World's longest and deepest tunnel will cost $1,900,000,000 but cut travel time by 11 hours
Norway have revealed its very expensive plans to build a new underwater megatunnel.
Norway already holds the record for the world's longest tunnel with its infamous Lærdal Tunnel that spans over 15 miles long.
The tunnel took five years to build and connects municipalities of Lærdal and Aurland.
The passage is so long that the people who designed it had to think up anti-claustrophobia measures to prevent people from becoming panicky while traveling through it.
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But the Lærdal Tunnel will soon be overshadowed by Norway's next project – a 16.5 mile-long underwater megatunnel that will cost more than £1.6 billion (over $1.9 billion) to build, which is a far cry from the $100 million it's thought to have cost to erect the Lærdal Tunnel.
Not only will the tunnel be the longest in the world, but the deepest too as it'll have maximum depth of 1,300ft, The Independent reports.
The project is known as Rogfast and will connect the districts of Randaberg and Bokn to one another.
As it stands, the country relies heavily on its E39 coastal highway, which runs from Trondheim, in the far north, to Kristiansand, in the south.
The journey between the two cities takes an eye-watering 21 hours, but the Rogfast project will slash this time by 11 hours.
It's said that the new tunnel only take around 35 minutes to get from one end of the tunnel to the other. To use it, it'll reportedly cost drivers £30.
The current route is interrupted by seven ferry crossings that are frequently delayed due to bad weather.
Speaking about the Norway's plans, Oddvar Kaarmo, the Rogfast project manager, said: "The port at Mortavika is quite exposed, and in the winter, ferries sometimes have to divert to another port.
"Once the tunnel is finished, we will not have to rely on good weather to keep the roads open. About half a year after the last drill and blast, we have to deliver the project, so we have to get a lot of work done simultaneously. It’s more about logistics than tunnelling."
The Rogfast project is part of a huge £36 billion upgrade of the entire E39 road.
Almost half of funding will come from taxpayer money, while the rest will be made up from the toll fees charged once the new record-breaking tunnel is up and running.
Construction on the tunnel first began in 2018, but the pandemic delayed a lot of it.
It's now expected to be completed at some point in 2033, says The Telegraph, almost 10 years later than first planned.
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Niamh Shackleton