We reported not too long ago on the Bolungarvík tunnel in the Westfjords, which is due to open in September. A new milestone in the tunnel’s construction was reached today, as preparation for tarmacking of the road surface inside began. Work on the tunnel is now reaching the closing stages, and is still on schedule for a formal opening in September.

The company Hlaðbær Colas is overseeing the laying of tarmac. Work on laying the surface dressing inside the 1.5km tunnel began at the Bolungarvík end this morning. Straight after the bank holiday weekend, the actual laying of the tarmac will begin. The work is estimated to take around ten days.

The town of Bolungarvík will to take the opportunity to pave some of the roads in the municipality, as a tarmacking centre has already been set up there. Lighting is also being installed inside the tunnel; this work is about half-finished at the moment.

Driving in the Westfjords in famously time-consuming, as to reach the isolated towns of Ísafjörður and its more northerly neighbour Bolungarvík requires driving in and out of each fjord along the coastline. Tunnels that have been constructed underneath mountains and fjords in Iceland dramatically cut journey times and keep remote communities accessible in winter. The first road tunnel in Iceland opened in 1967.

Source and image: mbl.is

Labels: Transport, Westfjords

A new road tunnel currently under construction in the Westfjords, the Bolungarvík tunnel, is nearing completion. The tunnel will be officially taken into use less than three months from now. Construction of the tunnel has been progressing well, although the opening date was originally scheduled for 15th July. It is now clear that the tunnel will not be open to the public before September.

On the tunnel’s website at bb.is, quality control manager for construction company Ósafl, based in the town of Bolungarvík, Níels Reynisson, says the work is going well, “The waterproof sidings and coatings are being worked on, and we have made steady progress in laying the drains.”

Amongst the tasks still to be completed are the tarmacking of the road surface and various other road-related tasks. Tarmacking is expected to start in mid-July, and should be completed sometime in August.

When completed, the tunnel will be 8.7m metres wide and 5.1km long. The planned cost of the tunnel stands at approximately 5 billion krónur. The tunnel will shorten the length of time it takes to travel from Hnífsdalur to Bolungarvík, and will avoid a dangerous drive around the mountain which can be seen at the back of the image above.

Source: mbl.is
Image: Gussi Jons

Labels: Construction, Transport, Westfjords