At noon on December 19th, the new undersea road tunnel that connects the Faroese capital Tórshavn with the southern region of the neighboring island Eysturoy opened for business with a bang.

Following an hour-long opening ceremony to celebrate the unprecedented achievement in tunnel construction — a truly historic moment for the Faroe Islands — the fixed link was flooded with thousands of cars for the remainder of the day.

People reported on social media how they had waited in line to become stuck in an hour-long traffic jam yet had no complaints. There was a festive atmosphere, not least in the communities on Eysturoy surrounding the entry points of the infrastructure marvel, all blending with perfect weather and the fast-approaching holiday season.

Toward the evening, much of the heavy traffic had receded, yet a continuous flow of curious drivers carried on toward the late hours of the night. At around 9pm, some 12,000 cars had reportedly passed through the tunnel.

At Rókin, between Runavík and Toftir, a parade of light decorated boats accompanied by a display of fireworks welcomed the stream of visiting cars arriving out of the mouth of the tunnel — see video by Hjalmar Jóhan Juul.

As Jørgen Niclasen, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, noted: “This is a great day.”

Photos by Jens Kristian Vang from the opening ceremony can be seen here.

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