The Atlantic Ocean Tunnel is an undersea tunnel

Undersea tunnel

An undersea tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under a body of water. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is impossible, or to provide competition for existing bridges or ferry links...

 that connects the city of Kristiansund

Kristiansund

Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...

 (Gomalandet island) with the island of Averøya

Averøya

Averøya is an island in the municipality of Averøy in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located north of the Romsdal peninsula surrounded by the Kornstadfjord on the west and the Kvernesfjord on the south and east...

 to the west in Møre og Romsdal

Møre og Romsdal

is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The 5727 metres (18,789.4 ft) long tunnel reaches a depth of 250 metres (820.2 ft), making it one of the deepest undersea tunnels in the world. Construction began in 2006 and the tunnel opened on 19 December 2009, later than initially estimated. Breakthrough was in March 2009. Problems with water leaks caused delays and cost overrun

Cost overrun

A cost overrun, also known as a cost increase or budget overrun, is an unexpected cost incurred in excess of a budgeted amount due to an under-estimation of the actual cost during budgeting...

s.

The tunnel's name comes from its connection of two islands located at the open Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, and will serve as an extension of Atlanterhavsveien

Atlanterhavsveien

The Atlantic Ocean Road or the Atlantic Road is a long section of County Road 64 which runs through an archipelago in Eide and Averøy in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It runs along the unsheltered Hustadvika between the villages of Kårvåg on Averøy with Vevang in Eide, and is a fixed link connecting...

 (Atlantic Ocean road), a popular tourist attraction. Atlanterhavsveien road runs over a series small islands with views of sea, fjord, and mountains, connecting Averøya to the mainland near Molde

Molde

is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

.

External links

• Official website
• Statens vegvesen: Rv. 64 Atlanterhavstunnelen
• Article November 2008
• Western end: 63°6′30"N 7°38′5"E, Eastern end: 63°7′32"N 7°43′26"E