Vigra Fixed Link



The Vigra Fixed Link (Vigrasambandet), also known as the Ålesund Tunnels (Ålesundtunnelene), is a fixed link connecting the archipelago and municipality of Giske and the island of Ellingsøya to the mainland and the island city of Ålesund. It consists of the 3520 m long Ellingsøy Tunnel between Ålesund and Ellingsøya, the 4222 m long Valderøy Tunnel connecting the islands of Ellingsøya and Valderøya, the 3844 m long Godøy Tunnel between the islands of Valderøya and Godøy, and the Giske Bridge from Valderøya to Giske island. Valderøya was already connected by bridge to the island of Vigra, which meant that the fixed link also connected the city of Ålesund to Ålesund Airport, Vigra. The fixed link opened between 1987 and 1989, and was financed as a toll road. The link is part of Norwegian National Road 658 and Norwegian County Road 658.

History
The two first tunnels, Ellingsøy and Valderøy, and the Giske Bridge were opened by King Olav V on 20 October 1987. The Godøy Tunnel opened two years later. The project was among the first subsea tunnels in Norway.

The project cost NOK780 million, all of which was financed by debt taken up by the partially publicly owned company Ålesund og Giske Tunnel- og Brusamband AS. The fixed link received a concession to collect tolls for 22 years. The project was built in a period with much optimism, and the banks were more than willing to lend large sums for the project. However, by the time the project was finished, the interest rate had increased to 16.5%, and the toll company could not pay the interest, let alone the principal sum. By 1990, the company was nearly bankrupt, but was saved by an agreement with the banks. Other factors contributing to the financial problems was the choice late in the project to include the Giske Bridge and Godøy Tunnel, as well as lower traffic than estimated.

When the tolls were removed on 25 October 2009, drivers had paid NOK1.37 billion, while the company still had NOK1.38 billion in outstanding debt. As the tunnels are owned by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the concession has run out, and the company has no assets, the debt capital is lost for the banks. The financial difficulties was one of the main reasons that Sunnmørsbanken went bankrupt in the early 1990s. Other banks that have lost capital include Bankenes Sikringsfond, DnB NOR, Nordea, Fokus Bank, Sparebanken Møre and Ørsta Sparebank. An upgrade in 2008 and 2009 of the Ellingsøy and Valderøy tunnels was completed on 10 October 2009. The upgrades cost NOK448 million, which included better fire protection. During parts of the reconstruction, the tunnels were closed and a ferry was put into service from Ålesund to Valderøya and Ellingsøya.