Norway plans first floating tunnel

[roadman65]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt1MDQHLjF8

[Chris]

Not much seemed to have happened with this proposal over the past couple of years. This idea is quite old. Focus has shifted off road construction a bit with the current government. The previous government was much more ambitious.

Norway's transportation development has traditionally been stifled by regional and local interests, which resulted in bridges and undersea tunnels to remote islands and tiny rural communities, but lacked a corridor approach of major highways. It wasn't until the 2010s that you could drive a decent distance from Oslo by motorway. More motorway projects are planned by the 'Nye Veier' (New Roads) developmental agency, but under the current government a lot of projects have been scaled back, delayed or reconsidered.

Norway has a lot of experience with the offshore industry. Another proposal, a floating cable-stayed bridge, might be more promising than a 'floating' tunnel.

The problem is that Sognefjord is too wide for conventional span bridges and too deep for undersea tunnels (of which there are many in Norway).

[J N Winkler]

I also gather there have been significant cost overruns with the Rogfast project, which tends to militate against even more technologically ambitious concepts.

[roadman65]

Someone did bring the idea up on social media and although a road geek posted it, the article was posted by a related company.

I wanted to share that article, but couldn't get my tablet to cooperate. So I googled an article that was related.

I'm guessing the idea resurfaces from time to time and then gets dropped. However, if it were built it would be an engineering milestone to have undertaken such a feat.