Vestfjarðagöng

Vestfjarðagöng is the longest tunnel in Iceland, located in Westfjords in northwestern Iceland. It has a length of 9,113 m (29,898 ft) and was opened in September 1996.[1]

Junction at the core of the tunnel.

Westfjords Tunnel

East entrance
Overview
Location	Ísafjarðarbær, Iceland
Route	60, 65
Operation
Work begun	1991
Opened	1996
Operator	Vegagerðin
Traffic	Automotive
Vehicles per day	700
Technical
Length	9.120 km (5.667 mi)
No. of lanes	1-2

The tunnel has three entrances and the three arms meet at junction in the tunnel. The three arms are known as:

• Breiðadalur, 4,150 m (13,615 ft), which gives access to Flateyri and the south-western part of the Westfjords;
• Botnsdalur 2,907 m (9,537 ft), which gives access to the village of Suðureyri to the west, a dead end route;
• Tungudalur 2,103 m (6,900 ft), which gives access to Ísafjörður and the northern part of the Westfjords.

Only the Tungudalur arm has two lanes throughout. Much of the rest of the tunnel has only one lane with passing places, with traffic light control to avoid collisions.

The tunnel avoids the Breiðadalsheiði road pass, whose summit at 610m was formerly the highest pass in regular use in the Westfjords. It was frequently blocked by snow and prone to avalanches.

References

1. Merzagora, Eugenio (June 2006). "Road Tunnels in Iceland". The World's Longest Tunnel Page. Retrieved November 3, 2010.