How it began
The Eysturoy Tunnel was built by the Faroese public company Eystur- og Sandoyartunlar to link the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy. Crews broke through on June 7, 2019, and the tunnel opened on December 19, 2020, after about four years of construction. At a cost of around 260 million euros it was the largest single investment made in the Faroe Islands. At its center, 72 meters below the surface, is a roundabout that Faroese sources and international press describe as the world's first under the sea.
Before it existed
Driving between the capital, Tórshavn, and the bay of Skálafjørður on Eysturoy meant more than an hour on mountain roads. The two shores of Skálafjørður were 25 kilometers apart by road. The islands already had subsea tunnels, but each was a single tube from one shore to another.
How it works
The network is 11.2 kilometers long and reaches 189 meters below the water surface at its lowest point. Three two-lane tubes meet at the roundabout: one from Streymoy and two from either side of Skálafjørður. The roundabout circles a pillar of natural rock left in place during blasting, now lit and ringed by an 80-meter steel sculpture by the Faroese artist Tróndur Patursson. Beneath the road, pipes lead water to the lowest point, where pumps send it back to the surface.
What changed first
The drive from Tórshavn to the Skálafjørður area fell from more than an hour to about 15 minutes, and the distance between the two sides of the fjord fell from 25 kilometers to 5. Travel time between Tórshavn and Klaksvík was roughly halved, from 70 minutes to about 35. The roundabout itself became a visitor attraction.
Where it stands today
The tunnel is tolled by license plate cameras, and the income is intended to fund further tunnels. The Faroe Islands, with about 53,000 people, count 20 tunnels, three of them long subsea tunnels, with more under construction or planned, including a link to the southern island of Suðuroy.
