Stantec and COWI are to develop a fixed link model for the Shetland Islands Council, looking at the possibility of tunnel connections between islands.
The model aims to provide a better understanding of contractors’ appetite for the work, the financial support available, and the resources the council would need. The work will also include a more detailed socio-economic review of the potential impact a tunnel could have on local residents, businesses and industries.
The Yell Sound route will be used as the model’s test case.
Chair of the Council’s environment and transport committee, Councillor Moraig Lyall, said she was pleased to see the project move to this stage.
“Key to developing plans for individual projects is being able to test as many elements as we can ahead of time. That covers everything from assessing whether there are contractors out there willing to take on such projects, to where and how funding can be secured,” she said.
“It’s very important to note that, just because Yell Sound has been chosen to model, this does not mean it is ‘first on the list’ for construction. Yell Sound simply offers up the widest range of variables which can be tested and modelled.”
The model will feed into the overall outline business case which councillors will consider next year before deciding on the preferred option for each of the eight island routes within the programme.
Szymon Kowalczuk, project lead at COWI, said the study was about building the evidence base and a greater understanding of how a network of tunnels could reshape connectivity in Shetland.
“By engaging the supply chain at an early stage, we test assumptions and make sure that the report findings are robust,” he said.
Islanders have been campaigning for tunnel connections between islands for some time. The Unst and Yell Tunnel Action Groups have led calls for the islands of Unst and Yell to be linked to mainland Shetland through subsea tunnels in Yell Sound and Bluemull Sound.
In March this year Norwegian consultancy Norconsult was commissioned to undertake sonar investigations and fieldwork.
