New Hvalba tunnel opens to the public

Today is a festive day in Hvalba as the long-awaited new tunnel opens to the public.

This is a huge day for us,” says Janus Thomsen, mayor of Hvalba.

“All the obstacles that our local industry has been experiencing will be wiped away in an instant when the tunnel opens.”

Hvalba is decorated with flags, and locals are currently enjoying breakfast in the town sports hall.

A day of celebration

At 11, buses will take the locals up to the tunnel entrance where the mayors of Hvalba and Tvøroyri, along with traffic authority figures, will give speeches.

At noon, siblings Allon Næs and Betta Eið, aged 95 and 98 respectively, will be the first Hvalba residents to drive through the tunnel. Allon will be driving. They will be followed by runners and pedestrians.

At 12.30pm, a fleet of vintage cars and motorcycles will drive through the tunnel ahead of the official opening at 1pm.

Work on the new tunnel started on 27 June 2019. The total project costs amounted to DKK 272 million.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

Translated by prosa.fo

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