With approximately $870 billion saved in oil funds and a population of over 5.2 million, Norway is at the brink of an innovative transportation feat. The nation plans to utilize its wealth to build a unique submerged floating bridge that will drastically change the travel landscape.
This ambitious engineering project is estimated to cost around $25 billion or 9 trillion Naira, confirming Norway’s dedication to investing in the future of its transportation system.
The primary goal? To significantly reduce the travel duration from Kristiansand to Trondheim, a trip which is approximately 1094 km and can take up to 21 hours because of ferry congestion. The introduction of the ambitious submerged bridge aims to slash this lengthy travel time down to 10 hours.
According to Wired, Norwegians are accustomed to under-water tunnels. Kjersti Kvalheim Dunham, project manager overseeing the E39 revamp, emphasized that the nation already boasts 1,150 tunnels, including 35 underwater ones. It’s this proficiency and familiarity with tunnel construction that makes the project feasible and likely successful.
The bridge, set to span across the Sognefjord, will be a first-of-its-kind crossing. Two curved, 4,000-foot long concrete tubes, one for each direction, will hang 65 to 100 feet below the water’s surface, offering unprecedented travel options.
Looking beyond immediate time-saving advantages, this submerged bridge will also negate weather-related travel issues, such as floodings or snow hindrances. While the plan looks impressive on paper, it does bring about questions regarding interference with navy ships, bedrock strength, and overall feasibility.
Globally, the push towards smarter, faster, and efficient transportation systems is in full swing with the exploration of Hyperloop technology, capable of transporting people at unbelievable speeds of 700 mph or 1,125 kmph. Imagine reducing a 610km or 380 miles trip, such as from Los Angeles and San Francisco, from 6 hours 25 minutes to just 30 minutes! In another context, this could be comparable to a trip from Abuja to Sokoto or Lagos to Delta, unimpeded by heavy traffic. This transformation in travel is akin to the leap forward proposed by California’s government in developing a $60b high-speed rail system running at around 340 km/hr.