This is not a typical roundabout. At the end of the 11-kilometer-long tunnel under the North Atlantic Ocean, it looks like a giant jellyfish, illuminated by aquamarine lighting and surrounded by life-forms.

Aside from the spectacular look, it is also known as the first underwater roundabout at the junction of two newest tunnels connecting the first most populated Faroe Islands: the Strimoy and the Istroy. It marks the geographical center Faroe Islands, And may become a draw for foreign tourists.

“We expect people to travel through the tunnel just for the sake of experience,” says Tytoor Samuelson, CEO of the Feroz Tunnel Company, who raised $ 360 million and a similar length for Istroyartunnil, which will connect Streimoi to the southern island of San Diego. In 2023. It is an investment of $ 50,000 per resident, funded by the Faroese government and private venture capital from abroad.

The tunnels are the largest infrastructure project in the Faroe Islands, another example of the rapid economic development of the islands, despite the rapid growth of the capital, Tarshavan, and the huge increase in international tourism – despite being hampered by the corona virus this year. Despite the recession, two new hotels opened in Torshavan this fall (Hilton Garden Inn, Hotel Brandon), doubling the city’s bed capacity, and national airline Atlantic Airways received the latest Airbus A320 Neo in June.

When travelers return, they find it much easier and faster to reach the uninhabited northern islands, which currently take about 90 minutes. The new tunnel will halve the driving time from the capital to Clockswalk, the second largest settlement fishing port, meaning that some of the tourism revenue should extend beyond the capital region.

“We hope this new infrastructure will help further expand some of the tourism benefits in the northeastern parts of the Faroe Islands.” Encourage Faroese businesses to take more care of visitors. Says Gurik Hajgard, a visitor to the Faroe Islands.

While some locals fear the new tunnel could cause traffic congestion in the small capital (with only three sets of traffic lights), a potential gain could be to prevent or curb the declining population of some of Faros’ small settlements. The drive behind the tunneling network is to keep the communities on the smaller islands profitable. The 1,200 residents of San Diego, who work in the capital, rely on a small car ferry, but it is sometimes canceled due to the changing weather and high winds in the Faroe Islands.

Isturoyartunnilin will officially open on December 19th, but there are early photographs of the new roundabout Appeared on social media, Prompting thousands of people to say they want to see the islands. The central pillar of the “jellyfish” is a natural rock, which remains during the eruption, but supports the roof of the tunnel.

The stone is adorned by the famous Pharaoh artist Trantur Patterson. The 80 m steel sculpture represents hand-held figures around the roundabout. They stare into the light like fans around a volcanic fire. At first I took them that way Hidden men, Mysterious troll-like creatures that inhabit the mountains and caves. However, the linked figures represent the Faroese “ring dance,” where hundreds of people join hands in a circle. “Figures walk from darkness to light, symbolizing the Pharaoh’s idea that we can achieve great things by working together.”

In 1976, the 76 – year – old Patterson gained international attention for taking part in Tim Severin’s voyage to reconstruct St. Brendan’s voyage to Ireland, believed to have arrived in Newfoundland long before Columbus. Patterson said crossing the Atlantic at Leather-Hold Karag influenced his artistic production and increased his passion for the ocean.