Tórshavn’s tunnel access road facing major delays

A massive increase in traffic is expected for 2020 when the Eysturoy-Tórshavn underwater tunnel is completed.

Tórshavn looks set for major traffic jams when the undersea tunnel from Eysturoy is complete.

The capital will not be ready to deal with the estimated 45-percent increase in traffic to and from the city once the new tunnel opens.

Despite an agreement from 2016 between Tórshavn City Council and the government, the access road from the new tunnel into the city will not be completed by the time the tunnel is ready to use. The road may in fact be delayed by up to three years, according to the Ministry of Transport.

According to an appendix to the Prime Minister’s Ólavsøka speech, there are financial complications surrounding the construction of the access road.

The access road agreement from 2016 states that the road project will be jointly funded by the state (DKK 115 million), private limited company Eystur- og Sandoyartunlar (DKK 27m) and Tórshavn City Council (DKK 24m).

The Prime Minister’s speech did not include information about tunnel-related road construction in Eysturoy.

Runavík Municipality, located at the opposite end of the new tunnel, has called for new roads to avoid excessive traffic through the main road in Runavík and the surrounding towns. This work is estimated to cost DKK 150 million.

Translated by prosa.fo