4 ms·

They have tunnels between almost all the islands, being able to drive between the islands rather than taking a boat on dangerous seas makes a lot of sense

jillesvangurp 6y ago
The article mentions a budget of a billion DKK. This would be a bit over 100M $. So, expensive but not that outrageous. Populations on these islands and their economies are small precisely because it is hard to get there and requires operating ferries (which costs money as well). Solve that problem and you might expect to see an effect on the local economy (more tourism, cheaper to move goods around, commutes to the mainland, etc.). If you then consider that they'll be benefiting from this for decades/centuries, it suddenly becomes a wise investment.
- jacobush 6y ago
  I'd say it's downright cheap.
- cinntaile 6y ago
  For the size of those tunnels that's pretty cheap I'd say. Both are about 11km and the most expensive one is 142 million usd. Even if you were to double the cost it's still fairly cheap. I wonder if it's paid for by the people living there or if it's paid for by the Danish mainland? Probably both. This will provide a good boost to their economy in the longer run.
  - IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
    It's paid for by the value of having a distant outpost in the middle of The Atlantic, and the EEZ that comes with it.
  - halgir 6y ago
    It's financed by loans, paid for by tolls: https://www.tunnil.fo/english/pay-toll-charge/ https://www.tunnil.fo/english/pay-toll-charge/
user2994cb 6y ago
They have tunnels through a lot of the islands as well - mostly single track with passing places (looked pretty terrifying when I was there a couple of decades ago, though I was never the one driving).
- user2994cb 6y ago
  A useful reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_of_the_Faroe_Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_of_the_Faroe_I...
  - pestatije 6y ago
    Wow, that's impressive tunnelling. On par with the swiss I'd say. Any plans for the big one (Suduroy - Shetlands ~250Km)?

jillesvangurp 6y ago

The article mentions a budget of a billion DKK. This would be a bit over 100M $. So, expensive but not that outrageous. Populations on these islands and their economies are small precisely because it is hard to get there and requires operating ferries (which costs money as well). Solve that problem and you might expect to see an effect on the local economy (more tourism, cheaper to move goods around, commutes to the mainland, etc.). If you then consider that they'll be benefiting from this for decades/centuries, it suddenly becomes a wise investment.

jacobush 6y ago
I'd say it's downright cheap.
cinntaile 6y ago
For the size of those tunnels that's pretty cheap I'd say. Both are about 11km and the most expensive one is 142 million usd. Even if you were to double the cost it's still fairly cheap. I wonder if it's paid for by the people living there or if it's paid for by the Danish mainland? Probably both. This will provide a good boost to their economy in the longer run.
- IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
  It's paid for by the value of having a distant outpost in the middle of The Atlantic, and the EEZ that comes with it.
- halgir 6y ago
  It's financed by loans, paid for by tolls: https://www.tunnil.fo/english/pay-toll-charge/ https://www.tunnil.fo/english/pay-toll-charge/

user2994cb 6y ago

They have tunnels through a lot of the islands as well - mostly single track with passing places (looked pretty terrifying when I was there a couple of decades ago, though I was never the one driving).

user2994cb 6y ago
A useful reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_of_the_Faroe_Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_of_the_Faroe_I...
- pestatije 6y ago
  Wow, that's impressive tunnelling. On par with the swiss I'd say. Any plans for the big one (Suduroy - Shetlands ~250Km)?