Engineers Build Extraordinary Roundabout 72 Meters Deep, Cutting Travel Time by 45 Minutes
The Faroe Islands are making waves with an extraordinary infrastructure project that marries engineering with art. Situated 72 meters below the surface, the massive 'jellyfish' roundabout not only simplifies transportation but has also transformed into the country's newest tourist attraction, captivating with its design.
The 11.2-kilometer Eysturoyartunnil submarine tunnel network, connecting the two largest islands of the Faroe Islands, has completely revolutionized transportation habits in the region:
The drive time between the capital, Tórshavn, and the country's second most populous island, which used to take over an hour on mountainous roads, has been reduced to 15 minutes, thanks to the new tunnel.
The journey time between the cities of Tórshavn and Klaksvik has been halved from 70 minutes to 35 minutes. Furthermore, the distance between the two bays of the Skálafjørður fjord has shrunk from 25 kilometers to just 5 kilometers.
The roundabout located at the heart of the submarine tunnel network offers a visual feast.
The colossal central pillar, preserved from natural rocks, was illuminated and adorned by the renowned Faroese artist Tróndur Patursson.
Depicted in the 80-meter steel sculpture that encircles the pillar are figures of humans, hand in hand, walking from darkness towards the light. Patursson, the artist, indicates that these sculptures symbolize 'the Faroese people who can achieve great things by working together.'
The tunnel, which reaches a depth of 189 meters below sea level at its lowest point, stands out with its high engineering solutions and driver comfort.
Drivers passing through the tunnel can tune into 97.00 FM radio to enjoy music specially composed by local musicians and sound engineers for this underwater journey.
Surface and rainwater are directed to the lowest points of the tunnel by gravity, and then pumped back into the Skálafjørður fjord using massive 16-bar pumps.
Constructed at a cost of approximately 260 million Euros, the Eysturoyartunnil stands as the largest single infrastructure investment in the history of the Faroe Islands.
The tunnel toll is automatically collected through license plate recognition cameras, with the fee varying between 75 and 175 Danish kroner (approximately 1024 Euro) depending on the subscription status. The revenue generated from this is expected to finance future tunnel projects.
Despite having a population of only 53,000 and consisting of 18 islands, the Faroe Islands currently boast 20 tunnels. Among the ongoing and planned projects in the region is the SuðuroySandoy tunnel project, which aims to become the world's longest underwater vehicle tunnel with a length of 2224 kilometers.
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