The Streymin Bridge ( Faroese: Brúgvin um Streymin; in short Brúgvin), is an important highway bridge in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

. It connects the two biggest and most populous islands of

Streymoy Streymoy ( da, Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also i ...

to the west and

Eysturoy Eysturoy (pronounced estroimeaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Description Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely ...

to the east. Crossing the Sundini sound at its narrowest point, it is jokingly referred to as the 'Bridge over the Atlantic', being the only inter-island bridge in the Faroe Islands, and one of the few such bridges in the Atlantic Ocean.

Location

The bridge is situated between the hamlet of Nesvík on Streymoy and in between Norðskáli and Oyrarbakki on Eysturoy, in the centre of the country. The bridge is part of national road number 10, running from

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...

Klaksvík Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality. History The first se ...

, and is considered a core road. At both sides of the Sundini sound there are road junctions with roads to

Eiði Eiði (''Northern Faroese'' �ɔiːjɪ) is a village located on the north-west tip of Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands. It is the seat of Eiði Municipality. It is located 4 km north of Ljósá and 6.5 km west of Funningur. History Eiði was fi ...

Tjørnuvík Tjørnuvík ( da, Tjørnevig) is the northernmost village on Streymoy in Sunda Municipality, Faroe Islands. As of the 2006 census, the population has a total of 71 people. The town uses the Stakkur sea stack for sheep grazing, accessed by cabl ...

, Oyri and villages in between. Several stores and the region's primary school have clustered around the highway junction. Oyrarbakki is a main interchange in the country's public transport network. Apart from the interregional role, the bridge is an important link within Sunda municipality, which stretches both sides of the Sundini sound. The bridge has two car lanes and a narrow shared bicycle/foot path.

History

Construction started in 1970 and the opening was 30 October 1973. During the first three years after opening, the bridge only linked Streymoy to Eysturoy's western half. It was not until 1976, when the Norðskálatunnilin opened, that the bridge gained a genuinely inter-regional character, as this tunnel linked the western Eysturoy to eastern Eysturoy's road network. Previous to 1973, traffic heading from the capital to Norðskáli or

had to take a car ferry from Hósvík to Oyrarbakki. Until 1976, traffic from Tórshavn to the Skálafjørður and Leirvík had to take either the car crossing from Hósvík to Selatrað or a direct, slower ferry. In concert with construction, the Sundini sound was dredged and deepened to (at mean water level) in order to allow ships with a deeper

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a ves ...

. The bridge's clearance is .
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Future

In 2011, on average 4,497 vehicles crossed the bridge per day. This number may halve to around 2,070 following the opening of the

Eysturoyartunnilin The Eysturoyartunnilin (in English the Eysturoy Tunnel, earlier known as the Skálafjarðartunnilin) is a large undersea road tunnel under the Tangafjørður sound in the Faroe Islands, connecting the island of Streymoy to the island of Eysturoy ...

in December 2020, creating a much quicker alternative for traffic between the capital

, the Skálafjørður and the

Northern Isles The Northern Isles ( sco, Northren Isles; gd, Na h-Eileanan a Tuath; non, Norðreyjar; nrn, Nordøjar) are a pair of archipelagos off the north coast of mainland Scotland, comprising Orkney and Shetland. They are part of Scotland, as are th ...

. The loss of potential clientele has caused slight distress in the region. However, the current bridge continues to be part of the Core Road Network. Also for traffic between Tórshavn and Klaksvík, the bridge may continue to attract users who want to avoid the tunnel toll. Implications for the bus servicing are not known, yet it is likely that the country's frequent and trunk route #400, from Tórshavn to Klaksvík, will be rerouted through the Eysturoyartunnilin, following a shorter and altogether more populous course.

References

{{coord, 62.2083, -7.0055, type:landmark_region:FO, display=title Buildings and structures in the Faroe Islands Beam bridges