OSLO, NORWAY — Norway will spend $315 million building the world’s first ship tunnel in a bid to improve maritime safety and cut journey times. <br /> <br />The 1,700-meter-long Stad Ship Tunnel will carve through the solid rock of the Stad peninsula in western Norway, allowing ships weighing up to 16,000 tons to pass between two fjords. <br /> <br />The tunnel will allow cargo vessels and passenger ships to navigate more safely through the notoriously stormy Stadhavet Sea, according to a press release from the Norwegian Coastal Administration. <br /> <br />The team behind the tunnel expects that five ships per hour will be able to pass through it. A traffic light system will be used to show when it’s safe to pass. <br /> <br />Construction on the project will begin by 2019 at the earliest, with completion expected by 2023.
