Two engineering marvels are under construction in Scandinavia, each vying for record-breaking titles for underwater tunnels.
Between Denmark and Germany, the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, will carry two rail lines and a pair of two-lane highways under the Baltic sea. When complete, the 18 km tunnel will be the longest road and rail tunnel in the world and the planet’s longest immersed tunnel.
Built of prefabricated concrete sections placed in a trench dug on the sea floor, the Fehmarnbelt project was started in 2020 from the Denmark side and 2021 from Germany. Comprising 79 standard concrete sections 217 metres-long and weighing 73,500 tonnes, a further 10 elements will contain the tunnels’ technical installations.
Costing €7 billion, the project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe. It is being built by two consortia, Fehmarn Belt Contractors (FBC) and Fehmarn Link Contractors (FLC) and will save travellers 160 km and open up travel between the continent and Scandinavia.
Norway, no stranger to underground or underwater tunnels, is constructing the 26.5 km Rogaland Fixed Link, known as Rogfast, which stretches beneath Boknafjorden and Kvitsøyfjorden. Costing around €2.1 billion, it will be the longest and deepest subsea road tunnel (up to 400 metres’ depth) in the world, when complete, cutting 11 hours from the E39 coastal highway journey.
Construction of Rogfast started in 2018 and is due for completion in 2033 while Fehmarnbelt is expected to be completed mid-2029.
Image: The Fehmarnbelt tunnel under construction. Credit: Femern A/S.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia, at the helm since December 2013, and our weekly news writer since 2016. Focused on concrete and construction for more than 11 years, her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com