Norðskála Tunnel turns 50 as wear shows

Norðskála Tunnel has marked its 50th anniversary, with visible wear affecting the tunnel’s equipment, KVF reports. Emergency signs are not working and the fans are not turning, while the most urgent need is to install barriers at both tunnel entrances, according to Eyðstein Zachariasen, mayor of Sunda Municipality.

The tunnel is the oldest two-lane tunnel in the Faroe Islands. It opened to traffic on 24 August 1976 after being built by the construction company E. Pihl & Søn for Landsverkfrøðingin.

The tunnel is 2,520 metres long and runs through the western mountain range of Eysturoy. It begins west of the village of Norðskáli and exits between the fjords.

Norðskáli Tunnel connects Sundalagið with the road network between the fjords and towards Skálafjørður. Together with the bridge over Streymin, which opened in 1973, it forms part of the Faroe Islands’ main transport route.

Atli Dam, the prime minister at the time, cut the ribbon when the tunnel opened to public traffic.