The Bømlafjordtunnelen is a 7,860-metre subsea tunnel on the E39 that runs under Bømlafjorden, connecting the island of Føyno on Stord to the mainland at Sveio. Its lowest point sits 260.4 metres below sea level, making it the deepest point on the entire European E-road network.
The tunnel has three lanes: two running uphill and one downhill, because the grade reaches 9%. It opened on 27 December 2000, five months ahead of schedule, and came in under budget at 487 million kroner against an estimate of 496 million. That almost never happens with Norwegian infrastructure projects.
Six hours before the official opening, a couple got married at the bottom of the tunnel. The toll company also ran a course for people with tunnel anxiety, attended by 60 participants.
The tunnel runs through 500-million-year-old rock from the Caledonian mountain-building period, mostly gneiss and phyllite.
The tunnel has three lanes: two running uphill and one downhill, because the grade reaches 9%. It opened on 27 December 2000, five months ahead of schedule, and came in under budget at 487 million kroner against an estimate of 496 million. That almost never happens with Norwegian infrastructure projects.
Six hours before the official opening, a couple got married at the bottom of the tunnel. The toll company also ran a course for people with tunnel anxiety, attended by 60 participants.
The tunnel runs through 500-million-year-old rock from the Caledonian mountain-building period, mostly gneiss and phyllite.