Norðoyatunnel marks 20 years since connecting Faroe Islands’ northern islands

The Norðoyatunnel, which links the Faroe Islands’ northern islands to the main archipelago, celebrates its 20th anniversary today, reported Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya.

When the 6.3 km underwater tunnel opened on April 29, 2006, it ended decades of debate over whether to build a fixed crossing across Leirvíksfjørður. Jógvan við Keldu, a key figure in the project, recalled fierce opposition in the 1980s, when critics questioned both the cost and feasibility of such a large-scale subsea construction.

“The battle was intense,” he told KVF’s morning programme, describing how economic crises in the 1990s nearly derailed the plans entirely. Political persistence ultimately revived the project, with construction beginning in 2003.

Once controversial, the tunnel is now considered indispensable, drastically reducing travel times between Klaksvík, the Faroes’ second-largest town, and the capital, Tórshavn.