Norway on Track to Build Massive Ship Tunnel
Norway’s sloping landscape and mountainous terrain has resulted in several channels of transportation. The newest mode will be the $312 billion Stad Ship Tunnel. The coasts of Norway are lined with jagged cliffs and create “road” blocks for ship vessels coming in and out to sea.
The Stad Ship Tunnel will be an underground passage that will create a shortcut from the Stadhavet Sea. The tunnel will make sea travel much more efficient and will help the vessels evade treacherous waters and reach their destination safely. For two years, Kystverket, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, has pushed to get their ship tunnel off the floor. Their massive project will stand 160 feet tall and 118 feet wide with construction potentially starting in 2019. An architecture project this large is slated to be finished by 2023.
The amount of rock that will need to be carved away is even larger than the tunnel. The Norwegian Coastal Administration predicts they’ll have to chip away at 8 million tons of rock. After 4 years of digging, 100 ships will be able to travel through the tunnel per day. The digging will start with construction workers making their way through on either side, eventually meeting in the middle.
There are opposing viewpoints on the huge tunnel though. Some critics argue the amount of money going into the massive project will not have enough of a payout to make the tunnel worth the 4 years of digging and construction. Sailors have been longing for a shortcut like this since the 19th century but with advancements in ship technology, some argue that today’s vessels can handle the rocky seas and make the quick trip without this tunnel.
In the next few years The Stad Ship Tunnel will be one of Norway’s 1,150 tunnels and one of 35 that are already under water.
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