Business Insider has taken the time to make a list of the 17 longest tunnels in the world and let us tell you - you won’t want to break down in any of them. The very longest one is Norway and spans over 15 miles, which is longer than the entire Manhattan. It makes use of sunrise-like lighting in three halls to help keep drivers alert during the 20 minute ride.
"The journey from Bergen or Oslo to the tunnel takes 3-4 hours and if there is a lot of snow it can take longer. The danger is that the drivers feel relieved when they get into the tunnel and tend to fall asleep. If the spacing between the tunnel lights matches the resting rhythm of the heart it can induce a hypnotic effect," said Gunnar Lotsberg, who helped design the passage, in a recent interview for the BBC.
Other countries are rapidly catching up to Norway, as China has opened three of the longest tunnels in just the last decade, while Japan has three. European countries that made the list include Norway, France and Italy.
Here’s the list of the 17 longest tunnels in the world:
- DUPLEX A86, FRANCE: 6.2 miles - 9.98 km
- PLATBUTSCH, AUSTRIA: 6.2 miles - 9.98 km
- GRAN SASSO D'ITALIA, ITALY: 6.3 miles - 10.14 km
- HIDA , JAPAN: 6.7 miles - 10.78 km
- YAMATE TUNNEL, JAPAN: 6.8 miles 10.94 km
- KANETSU, JAPAN: 6.9 miles - 11.1 km
- FOLGEFONN, NORWAY: 6.9 miles 11.1 km
- BAOJIASHAN, CHINA: 6.96 miles - 11.2 km
- GUDVANGEN, NORWAY: 7.1 miles - 11.43 km
- MOUNT BLANC, FRANCE-ITALY: 7.2 miles - 11.6 km
- DIAPLINGI TUNNEL, CHINA: 7.6 miles -12.23 km
- FREJUS, FRANCE-SWITZERLAND: 8 miles - 12.87 km
- HSUEHSHAN TUNNEL, TAIWAN: 8 miles - 12.87 km
- ARLBERG, AUSTRIA: 8.7 miles - 14 km
- ST. GOTTHARD TUNNEL, SWITZERLAND: 10.5 miles - 16.9 km
- QINLING ZHONGNANSHAN TUNNEL, CHINA: 11.21 miles - 18.04 km
- LAERDAL TUNNEL, NORWAY: 15.23 miles - 24.51 km
Google News