Bjørvika Tunnel

The Bjørvikatunnel (Norwegian Bjørvikatunnelen ) is a six-lane road tunnel in the center of the Norwegian capital Oslo, which forms a tunnel system together with the solid Happenings tunnel, the Ekebergtunnel, the Svartdaltunnel and Opera tunnel. The tunnel leads under the Bjørvika, an inlet of the Oslo Fjord in the inner harbor of the city, and stretches from the eponymous district Bjørvika to the old city of Oslo.

Location and extent

The tunnel connects the hard Happenings tunnel at Havnelageret at one end with the Ekebergtunnel and the Mossevei Sorenga at the other end. It has a length of 1100 meters, of which 675 meters were built as immersed tunnel with prefabricated sections (each 112 meters long, 27 meters wide and 10 meters high). Together with all the feeder routes and ramps, the tunnel has a length of 8000 meters. The tunnel ceiling is ten feet below the average water surface of the harbor.

The ventilation is secured to the east by four 40 meter high ventilation towers at Sorenga, a pair of them in the vicinity of the Østfoldbanen and the other near the lake. To the west of the tunnel is vented through the solid Happenings tunnel which has its own vent storms in Filipstad.

Construction

The construction of the Bjørvikatunnels launched on 15 August 2005. Leading to the east tunnel was on 26 April 2010 and the leading westbound tunnel was opened on 20 September 2010. The official opening by King Harald took place on 17 September 2010. The tunnel is funded by the Norwegian government, the city of Oslo and toll revenue of local operating company Fjellinjen. The construction costs for the project in 2004 still estimated at 4.5 billion NOK, but in the end amounted to 5.9 billion crowns.

Criticism

The steady expansion of an ever closer network of tunnels under Oslo was krisiert of experts of the ways safety through see an increase in the risk of fire.

Awards

The tunnel was awarded in September 2011 with the Norwegian Architecture Prize Betongtavlen.