Iceland has opened its longest tunnel, the Norðfjarðargöng tunnel on Route 92

Iceland has opened its longest tunnel, a 7.9km structure between Neskaupstaður and Eskifjörður, to replace a mountain road often closed during winter storms. Construction of the Norðfjarðargöng tunnel on Route 92 in eastern Iceland started in 2013 and has cost just over €118 million. Tunneling, done using the traditional Nordic drill and blast method, was finished in 2015. The the two-lane Norðfjarðargöng tunnel replaces a smaller tunnel, the 640m Oddsskarðsgöng tunnel, a single-lane structure where cars
November 14, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Iceland’s longest tunnel, the Norðfjarðargöng tunnel at nearly 8km long: Nordic drill and blast work before opening (photo Metrostav)

Iceland has opened its longest tunnel, a 7.9km structure between Neskaupstaður and Eskifjörður, to replace a mountain road often closed during winter storms.

Construction of the Norðfjarðargöng tunnel on Route 92 in eastern Iceland started in 2013 and has cost just over €118 million. Tunneling, done using the traditional Nordic drill and blast method, was finished in 2015.

The the two-lane Norðfjarðargöng tunnel replaces a smaller tunnel, the 640m Oddsskarðsgöng tunnel, a single-lane structure where cars had to pull over at designated stretches to allow oncoming vehicles to pass.

The contractor is a consortium of the Czech-based Metrostav Group and local company Suðurverk. The client is the Icelandic government agency Vegagerðin, the Road and Coastal Administration.

Metrostav has worked in the area before, completing the Siglufjörður and Ólafsfjörður tunnels with a total length of nearly 11km.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Key projects free up Auckland's congested motorway network
    June 14, 2012
    A number of key projects in Auckland, New Zealand will free-up the city’s congested motorway network - Mary Searle reports.Auckland is a sprawling city, home to 1.4 million people, one third of New Zealand’s total population. Until recently, greater Auckland comprised Auckland city, North Shore city over the harbour bridge to the north, Waitakere city to the west and Manukau city to the south. An amalgamation of these various cities’ councils, plus the regional council and three district councils into one,
    Read More
  • Flyover and tunnel planned for D3 route in Slovakia
    February 13, 2015
    In Slovakia plans are in hand for work to the D3 route that will involve the construction of a flyover, a bridge and a tunnel. The flyover lies on the stretch of D3 between Zilina/Strazov and Zilina/Brodno. Work on this 4.25km section of the D3 is costing close to €255 million. The construction work commenced in June 2014 and is due for completion by 2017. The work is complex and includes building flyover over the Hricovska Prehrada Dam, as well as driving a tunnel and constructing bridge over the Kysuca Ri
    Read More
  • Award winning bridge for North Carolina
    November 21, 2019
    A new bridge in the US state of North Carolina has won a key award for excellence – Mike Woof writes
    Read More
  • Strabag closes in on Poland’s S8 Marki-Kobylka contract
    August 19, 2019
    Strabag has nudged into the lead for Poland’s retender of the dual lane S8 section between the Marki and Kobylka junctions, previously held by Salini-Impreglio. Five offers were on the table for the deal with Strabag offering €38 million, well above the €32 million that was budgeted for by GDDKiA, Poland’s road authority. Other bids came from a consortium headed by Warszawskie Przedsiebiorstwo Mostowe Mosty at nearly €40 million, a PORR and Unibep consortium offere at almost €59 million, a bid by I
    Read More

Highlighted Content