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

  • Inter-oceanic Corridor for Brazil-Bolivia-Chile
    March 2, 2015
    A new Bolivian link is playing a key role in a major Latin American highway – Mauro Nogarin reports. Construction of a new route through Bolivia will help deliver improved transport between Latin America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The construction of the highway between Santa Barbara-Caranavi-Quiquibey has been carried out by the consortium ARBOL. This firm is a partnership between the Argentinean company Grupo Eling and Administradora de Caminos Boliviana (ABC). The stretch of highway is an important s
    Read More
  • Inter-oceanic Corridor for Brazil-Bolivia-Chile
    March 2, 2015
    A new Bolivian link is playing a key role in a major Latin American highway – Mauro Nogarin reports. Construction of a new route through Bolivia will help deliver improved transport between Latin America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The construction of the highway between Santa Barbara-Caranavi-Quiquibey has been carried out by the consortium ARBOL. This firm is a partnership between the Argentinean company Grupo Eling and Administradora de Caminos Boliviana (ABC). The stretch of highway is an important s
    Read More
  • Just stop arguing and build the thing
    December 15, 2017
    The news that the preferred route has been announced for a new road and tunnel link that will bypass the UK’s famous Stonehenge stone circle comes after years of debate. The project is for the construction of a new 13km dual carriageway link and includes a 2.6km stretch of tunnel, which is the subject of some controversy. Because of the archeological importance of the area, the tunnel has been decided as being the best option for the new route. Building a tunnel will allow much of the important archeologi
    Read More
  • Inter-oceanic Corridor for Brazil-Bolivia-Chile
    March 2, 2015
    A new Bolivian link is playing a key role in a major Latin American highway – Mauro Nogarin reports. Construction of a new route through Bolivia will help deliver improved transport between Latin America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The construction of the highway between Santa Barbara-Caranavi-Quiquibey has been carried out by the consortium ARBOL. This firm is a partnership between the Argentinean company Grupo Eling and Administradora de Caminos Boliviana (ABC). The stretch of highway is an important s
    Read More

Highlighted Content