A joint venture between Switzerland’s Implenia and Norway’s Strangeland Maskin has been awarded for the world’s longest and deepest subsea tunnel in Tunnel.

Implenia will take on the excavation and construction of an 8.6 km (5.3 miles) stretch of the Boknafjord tunnel, while Strangeland Maskin undertakes the construction of a 125 m (410 ft) section of connecting road, as well as the transportation of all excavated material, Construction Europe reported.

Implenia said its activities amount to 80 percent of the contract, equating to a value of approximately €304 million.

Erwin Scherer, global head of tunnelling with Implenia, said, “We are excited to win such a major and prestigious project together with our JV partner Stangeland Maskin.

“The project E03 Boknafjord tunnel is a large and complex infrastructure project in line with our strategy, where we can contribute our many years of experience and proven expertise in tunnel construction and related civil engineering disciplines.”

The wider Boknafjord tunnel project comprises a 27-km (16.7-mile) long roadway, running below the huge Boknafjorden fjord in Rogaland in central Norway.

The responsibility of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the tunnel has seen a number of delays and cost rises, but has a current completion date of 2033 and a budget of approximately €2.55 billion.

Image courtesy Norwegian Public Roads Administration