The 321m-deept ventilation shaft, which runs directly from the surface to the tunnel, is an essential part of Lot E02, which is being delivered by an Implenia and Stangeland Maskin joint venture. Austrian subcontractor Östu-Stettin carried out the shaft excavation.
The Rogfast Tunnel in western Norway will be the world’s longest and deepest underwater road tunnel at 26.7km long and 390m deep. It will connect Stavanger and Haugesund, which are currently linked by ferry services, and provide the island of Kvitsøy a connection with the mainland.
Implenia project manager Ole Magne Rønning said the completion of the shaft was crucial for the project’s next stage.
“The shafts are crucial for the further progress of the project: in terms of ventilation, we are saving 3.5km of air transport through the Kvitsøy Tunnel. With the shaft, it is only 210m vertically down. We also save energy and electricity. Because there is not enough electricity available on the island, we cannot simply increase the power of the fans to achieve more capacity. During tunnel excavation, we need more and more energy to pump out water and pump in air,” he said.
The new shaft also improves safety as it removes the need to run four ventilation pipes through the Kvitsøy Tunnel.
Lot E02 Kvitsøy is considered the most complex part of the Rogfast project. It comprises an approximately 8.8km long, 10.5m-diameter twin-tube, dual-lane road tunnel with a complex underground intersection and a ramp connection to Kvitsoy. The contract also includes 17 technical buildings, 154 emergency stations, 38 cross-passages and five pumping stations.
