Eiksund Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Eiksund tunnel is an undersea tunnel
between the municipalities of Ørsta
and Ulstein
in Møre og Romsdal
county, Norway
. The Eiksund Bridge
joins Hareidlandet
island and the village of Eiksund
with the nearby island Eika. The Eiksund Tunnel begins at the south end of the bridge (on Eika island) and connects it to mainland Norway. The bridge-tunnel complex serves the municipalities of Herøy
, Sande
, Ulstein
, Hareid
, Ørsta
, and Volda
which together have over 40,000 inhabitants.
The tunnel carries three lanes of traffic. The average daily traffic through the Eiksund Tunnel is around 1,000 vehicles, 50% of which are trucks. The total cost of the tunnel was about .
The tunnel is 7765 metres (25,475.7 ft) long and reaches a depth of 287 metres (941.6 ft), which makes it the deepest undersea tunnel
of its kind in the world. The tunnel was opened to traffic on 23 February 2008. The tunnel was originally intended to be opened to the public in July 2007, but numerous delays pushed the date back to December 2007 and then eventually to 2008.
The 405 metres (1,328.7 ft) long Eiksund Bridge
and the 1160 metres (3,805.8 ft) long Helgehorn Tunnel were built along with the tunnel. These three structures are a part of Riksvei 653, a county highway that links Riksvei 61 between Ulstein and Herøy to the highway between Ørsta and Volda.
On 28 June 2009, there was a severe accident in the tunnel, leaving five people dead.
Undersea tunnel
An undersea tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under a body of water. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is impossible, or to provide competition for existing bridges or ferry links...
between the municipalities of Ørsta
Ørsta
is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørsta...
and Ulstein
Ulstein
Ulstein is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The commercial and administrative centre of Ulstein is Ulsteinvik, population 5,251 . The municipality occupies the western half of the island of Hareidlandet, as well as about 30 or more smaller...
in Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The Eiksund Bridge
Eiksund Bridge
Eiksund Bridge is a cantilever bridge in the municipality of Ulstein in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The bridge is connected to the Eiksund Tunnel as part of the Eiksund Sambandet which joins several islands in the municipalities of Ulstein, Herøy, Sande, and Hareid to...
joins Hareidlandet
Hareidlandet
Hareidlandet is an island in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Hareid and Ulstein. The island has a population of 11,687. The island is mentioned by Snorri in his reports about the Battle of Hjörungavágr in 986 where Haakon Jarl defeated Bue Digre and the...
island and the village of Eiksund
Eiksund
Eiksund is a village in the municipality of Ulstein in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Hareidlandet...
with the nearby island Eika. The Eiksund Tunnel begins at the south end of the bridge (on Eika island) and connects it to mainland Norway. The bridge-tunnel complex serves the municipalities of Herøy
Herøy, Møre og Romsdal
Herøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the town of Fosnavåg on the island of Bergsøya. The industrial area of Eggesbønes is located south of Fosnavåg on the same island...
, Sande
Sande, Møre og Romsdal
Sande is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Larsnes on the island of Gurskøya.-General information:...
, Ulstein
Ulstein
Ulstein is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The commercial and administrative centre of Ulstein is Ulsteinvik, population 5,251 . The municipality occupies the western half of the island of Hareidlandet, as well as about 30 or more smaller...
, Hareid
Hareid
Hareid is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Hareid...
, Ørsta
Ørsta
is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørsta...
, and Volda
Volda
Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. The municipality is located about south of the city of Ålesund.-General information:...
which together have over 40,000 inhabitants.
The tunnel is 7765 metres (25,475.7 ft) long and reaches a depth of 287 metres (941.6 ft), which makes it the deepest undersea tunnel
Undersea tunnel
An undersea tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under a body of water. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is impossible, or to provide competition for existing bridges or ferry links...
of its kind in the world. The tunnel was opened to traffic on 23 February 2008. The tunnel was originally intended to be opened to the public in July 2007, but numerous delays pushed the date back to December 2007 and then eventually to 2008.
The 405 metres (1,328.7 ft) long Eiksund Bridge
Eiksund Bridge
Eiksund Bridge is a cantilever bridge in the municipality of Ulstein in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The bridge is connected to the Eiksund Tunnel as part of the Eiksund Sambandet which joins several islands in the municipalities of Ulstein, Herøy, Sande, and Hareid to...
and the 1160 metres (3,805.8 ft) long Helgehorn Tunnel were built along with the tunnel. These three structures are a part of Riksvei 653, a county highway that links Riksvei 61 between Ulstein and Herøy to the highway between Ørsta and Volda.
On 28 June 2009, there was a severe accident in the tunnel, leaving five people dead.