The Norwegian government has allocated $25 billion on an ambitious project that could see a number of floating underwater tunnels built across the country and running through the nation’s various fjords.
Engineers are proposing to build long underwater ‘bridges’, each consisting of two tunnels running parallel supporting traffic in each direction. Unlike normal tunnels, these ones would be suspended 100 feet underwater by massive pontoons floating along the surface of the water connected to the tunnels by strong trusses.
Because of the country’s array of incredibly deep inlets often formed in massive valleys, building a traditional tunnel running under the water is impossible, especially since some fjords can be a mile deep. Additionally, traditional bridges running above the water aren’t viable given the width of some fjords and how susceptible to damage bridges can be from rough climatic conditions.
As underwater tunnels like this have never been built before, the project isn’t expected to be completed before 2035, if it does indeed get off the ground. If engineers discover that the ambitious plans are too difficult to implement, the funding may be allocated elsewhere.
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