Officials leave Traðarhamar tunnel decision open

There is still no decision on whether to build a rock tunnel at Traðarhamar as part of the Suðuroy Tunnel project, KVF reports.

Test drilling was completed about two weeks ago, but the results have not yet been fully analysed. The drilling is understood to have revealed nothing unexpected, Transport Minister Jacob Vestergaard said in a reply to MP Kristian Krog Hentze.

Vestergaard said the Suðuroy Tunnel company is expected to receive the final geological findings around the end of the year. Such reports are not usually published, but they can be accessed on request.

The tunnel would be designed and put out to tender as part of the overall project. Whether the final option is a road along Traðarhamar or a road and tunnel there will depend on road and traffic engineering considerations, as well as environmental impacts. The road at Sandslið is not considered suitable for the Suðuroy Tunnel, the report says.

If a tunnel is chosen, it would run for 1,700 metres, entering at Heiðin above Sandslið and emerging north of Miðstovugarður in Trøðum. Including the roads, it would cost between 300 million and 350 million kroner. A road along Traðarhamar would cost between 150 million and 170 million kroner.

Under the tunnel option, the road would turn downhill north of the main school towards a junction with the road to the Sandoy Tunnel, where a roundabout would be built. From the tunnel entrance at Traðarhamar, the road would connect to the route to Skarvanes and the eastern villages.