Tendering underway for $30 million Vestmannasund sub-sea road tunnel and adjacent road connections to establish a fixed link between two of the main Faeroe islands, Streymoy and Ví¡gar. Ví¡gatunnilin p/f, a limited, state owned enterprise, owns the concession to design, build and operate the tunnel based on toll revenues. Landsstyrid, the Faeroe Islands state authority, has guaranteed public investments to partly finance the project, which will be supplemented with private funding. The project comprises a 4.9 km long single drill/blast tunnel in basalt with rockbolt and sprayed concrete lining support. The lining will not be designed to handle full water pressure, and excess water will be drained. Lowest datum is 105 m below sea level and rock cover will vary between 30 and 50 m with a maximum water depth of 60 m. Construction starts mid-2000 on a 3 year duration. O. T. Blindheim AS is technical adviser for the Owner, whilst Landsbyggifelagid is the local technical consultant and will also assist in site supervision. Norconsult prepared the tender documents. More from www.blindheim.no and www.norconsult.no June 2000.$22 million, 4.9 km-long x 10.5 m-wide marine tunnel with cross-section of 64 sq m is under construction beneath Vestmannansund by NCC Tunneling (formed from NCC takeover of Statkraft Anlegg) to join airport on island of Vagar to capital Thorshavn on island of Streymoy for completion June, 2003. Tunnel will reduce all travel times to the airport by an hour. Visit www.ncc.se October 2000.NCC in JV with two local contractors, Byggitek and J&K Petersen, has been commissioned by Nordoyatunnilin, owned by the government of the Faroe Islands, to build a a 6.2 km-long subsea tunnel between Eysturoy and Bordoy, the two most northerly islands. The contract is worth SEK316 million, of which NCC's share is approximately SEK270 million. The project includes the blasting of 420,000 m2 of rock. Work will commence immediately and the tunnel is scheduled for completion in August 2006. Visit www.ncc.info and www.tunnil.fo/dokumentir/arbeidsstoda_nordoyatunnilin.gif 48/03.