Uploaded March 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Norway has ambitious plans to install the world’s first floating underwater tunnels to help travelers easily cross the nation’s many fjords. At present, the only way to travel across the bodies of water involves taking a series of ferries – an inconvenient and time-consuming process. The “submerged floating bridges” would consist of large tubes suspended under 100 feet of water, and each one will be wide enough for two lanes of traffic.
The west side of Norway is made up of 1,190 fjords, which, while beautiful, make it very hard to travel along the country's coastline
Currently, the drive from the southern city of Kristiansand to Trondheim in the north takes an excruciating 21 hours and requires seven ferry crossings.
To make that drive easier, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has proposed the world's first underwater floating tunnel, which would be submerged in the Norwegian Sea. It is predicted to cost $25 billion (around £19 million) to build,according to Wired.
The tunnel is part of a series of proposed solutions for the Route E39 coastal highway devised by the NPRA.
Here's what it would look like:
The floating underwater tunnel would consist of two 4,000-foot-long, curved concrete tubes, submerged 66 feet below the surface of the Norwegian Sea.
The underwater crossings are set to be installed under several fjords along the coastline by 2035 according to Wired, and will cost as staggering $25billion (£19billion).
It's estimated they will cut the journey from Kristiansand to Trondheim, via the E39, by half.
At present, land on either side of the fjords are connected by ferries as the distance is too wide and the waters too deep for normal bridges.
The vertical position of the tubes will be controlled by a series of pontoons that will be floated on the surface of the fjord. These pontoons will be spaced apart wide enough for ships to pass through.
The NPRA is also considering creating a 12,139-foot-long suspension bridge, which would be three times the length of San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge and double the current world record for a bridge's length.
The towers on each end of this world record-breaking suspension bridge would stand at 1,476 feet tall — 492 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower.
The first proposed crossing is for Sognefjord which links up Oppedal with Lavik. By 2035, the crossings are set to be installed between many of the country's fjords, according to Wired.
Norway has ambitious plans to install the world’s first floating underwater tunnels to help travelers easily cross the nation’s many fjords. At present, the only way to travel across the bodies of water involves taking a series of ferries – an inconvenient and time-consuming process. The “submerged floating bridges” would consist of large tubes suspended under 100 feet of water, and each one will be wide enough for two lanes of traffic.
The west side of Norway is made up of 1,190 fjords, which, while beautiful, make it very hard to travel along the country's coastline
Currently, the drive from the southern city of Kristiansand to Trondheim in the north takes an excruciating 21 hours and requires seven ferry crossings.
To make that drive easier, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has proposed the world's first underwater floating tunnel, which would be submerged in the Norwegian Sea. It is predicted to cost $25 billion (around £19 million) to build,according to Wired.
The tunnel is part of a series of proposed solutions for the Route E39 coastal highway devised by the NPRA.
Here's what it would look like:
The floating underwater tunnel would consist of two 4,000-foot-long, curved concrete tubes, submerged 66 feet below the surface of the Norwegian Sea.
The underwater crossings are set to be installed under several fjords along the coastline by 2035 according to Wired, and will cost as staggering $25billion (£19billion).
It's estimated they will cut the journey from Kristiansand to Trondheim, via the E39, by half.
At present, land on either side of the fjords are connected by ferries as the distance is too wide and the waters too deep for normal bridges.
The vertical position of the tubes will be controlled by a series of pontoons that will be floated on the surface of the fjord. These pontoons will be spaced apart wide enough for ships to pass through.
The NPRA is also considering creating a 12,139-foot-long suspension bridge, which would be three times the length of San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge and double the current world record for a bridge's length.
The towers on each end of this world record-breaking suspension bridge would stand at 1,476 feet tall — 492 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower.
The first proposed crossing is for Sognefjord which links up Oppedal with Lavik. By 2035, the crossings are set to be installed between many of the country's fjords, according to Wired.
