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Driving under water, Klaksvík's turn |
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Archives -
2006 Archive
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Written by B. Tyril
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Monday, 08 May 2006 |
Investing in a highly developed infrastructure to encompass even the smallest of villages has long been a matter of consensus in the Faroes; opening a second giant underwater tunnel is seen as a natural step in a process that seeks to interlink every corner of the country in the best way imaginable.
Back in the 1950s when NATO constructed the mountain highway from Tórshavn to the valley north of Kollafjörđur—not far from the now entrance to the underwater tunnel that connects the island of Streymoy to Vágar where the airport is located—the Faroese arguably first discovered a taste for serious infrastructure development.
The mountain road was a huge project at that time, employing a host of islanders, some of whom continued in the road construction business in the years and decades that followed.
During this era of automobile fascination, the road network over the years was developed to cover every corner that could possibly be reached on four wheels. And if it couldn’t, the public ferry operator would fill it in.
So as paved roads and even mountain tunnels became the standard for every village of 20 or fewer inhabitants, all in the name of a unanimously accepted priority of rural development—which we still adhere to—the public transport service was extended and eventually started operating helicopters to serve some of the less accessible islands.
At this point, we had long referred to Iceland for amusement—as we had drove past them in regard of percentage of the country developed. Never mind their country was… somewhat larger and more scarcely populated.
Fast-forward to late 2002 when our first underwater tunnel opened for traffic, the one that connects Streymoy and Vágar. What a difference the 4.9-km underpass made! It took three years to build it but everyone agrees it was worthwhile.No more queuing up for the ferry and no more panicking to reach it—only to reach the plane.
Building on the success of the first underwater tunnel, we could hardly wait for the next one. And here it is, like pure science fiction, many of us still feel. No ferry to Klaksvík?
That’s it. At dkk 355m (eur 48m / gbp 33m / usd 58m), the tunnel is scheduled for opening in the early summer of this year (2006). That’s 6.3 kilometers of underwater paved road linking the islands of Eysturoy and Borđoy, connecting Klaksvík to Tórshavn.
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