OSLO, NORWAY — Construction on the world's first full-scale ship tunnel will soon get underway after the Norwegian government approved startup funds for the giant engineering project.
The project — known as the Stad Ship Tunnel — is projected to cost around $350 million and will allow ships of up to 16,000 tonnes to navigate more safely through the notoriously stormy Stadhavet Sea.
The tunnel itself will be 33 meters high and 36 meters wide, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
It will stretch 1.7 kilometers through the narrowest point of Norway's Stad Peninsula from Bergen to Alesund, allowing ships to bypass an area considered to be Norway's most dangerous shipping zone.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration received an assignment letter from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which gives a green light to start preparations for construction.
If everything goes well, the tunnel will be complete in 2025 or 2026, the administration said in a press release from late last month.