Chris Weller, Tech Insider
Jul. 21, 2016, 11:37 AM
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration（挪威公共道路管理局）
Norwegians treasure their beloved fjords — and at 1,190 in total, there are plenty to love — but the giant bodies of water pose serious hurdles to traveling across the country, especially when roads are icy in the winter. Journeys that should take hours end up taking upwards of a day, all because people can't drive directly from A to B.
挪威人非常愛他們的峽灣。挪威一共有1190個峽灣，也夠他們愛的。不過這些大型水體給國內旅行帶來了很大的麻煩，尤其是冬天道路結冰的時候。人們很難直接從A開車到B，每趟旅程都要花費多個小時，甚至超過一天的時間。
All that may change if an ambitious engineering project comes to fruition.
不過有一個耗資巨大的工程能夠解決這些問題。
The small Nordic country has announced plans to spend a reported $25 billion on a fully submerged, floating tunnel beneath the Sognefjord, a body of water more than 4,000 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide. It would be the first of its kind in the world, and could cut cross-country travel times from 21 hours down to less than 11.
這個北歐小國正式宣布將開啟一個耗資250億美元的水下隧道項目，這個浮動的隧道位於松恩峽灣（Sogne fjord）下方，松恩峽灣本身超過4000英尺深，3000英尺寬。這將是世界上首個浮動的水下隧道，可以使得橫跨挪威的時間從21小時降至11小時。
Like many of the country's vast, yawning fjords, Sognefjord presents a challenge for convenient travel. People in rural areas are forced to take ferries or drive hours out of the way just to reach the other side. A floating tunnel might literally save the day.
松恩峽灣就和很多國家巨大、無聊的峽灣一樣，為出行製造了很多挑戰。農村地區的民眾為了到峽灣的另一頭不得不坐輪渡或者開很久的車。一個浮動的隧道確實可以節省很多時間。
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration（挪威公共道路管理局）
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration announced its plans for a submerged floating tunnel back in 2011. Since then, much of the discussion has surrounded on which infrastructure design is actually the best for Sognefjord.
挪威公共道路管理局早在2011年就宣布了浮動隧道的計劃。之後湧現了很多關於哪個設計計劃更適合松恩峽灣的討論。
Other proposals include a floating bridge or a suspension bridge, but nothing has been decided yet. Suspension bridges are commonplace, of course, but even the more odd-seeming floating bridge isn't entirely novel. Washington, for example, boasts a floating bridge that's nearly 8,000 feet long.
其他提議包括建立浮橋或者吊橋，不過這些都尚無定論。吊橋還算比較常見，不過即使是聽起來很奇怪的浮橋也不是之前沒有過。比如華盛頓就有一座將近8000英尺長的浮橋。
While costlier than a bridge, the big advantage of a floating tunnel is that it's mostly impervious to extreme weather. It also presents less of an obstacle for passing ships and preserves the natural beauty of the fjord.
隧道雖然比橋要貴，但是有個優點是它可以應對各種極端天氣情況。此外和其他方案相比也不會影響船隻通行，不會破壞峽灣的天然美景。
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration（挪威公共道路管理局）
If completed, the project would consist of dual tubes that span the width of Sognefjord. A series of pontoons on the water's surface would keep the tubes afloat, and connecting beams would keep them reinforced.
如果項目完工，將會有兩根管道橫跨松恩峽灣。水面上還會有一系列的架浮橋，保證管子可以懸浮起來，連接梁也可以讓其更穩定。
Arianna Minoretti, a senior engineer with the Public Roads Administration, tells Wired that the driving experience would feel just like cruising through any other tunnel. The structuremay be floating, but it's not exactly a rubber ducky in a hurricane.
公共道路管理局的高級工程師Arianna Minoretti告訴Wired網站，完工後的開車體驗就和在其他隧道裡開車一樣。雖然結構是懸浮的，但是不會像颶風裡的鴨子一樣晃來晃去。
In the coming years, the country will decide whether the floating tunnel is, in fact, the best option — and if it is, how it can build the tunnel most efficiently. Weather poses natural threats to the structure, as does deterioration over time, so maintenance costs also factor into the equation.
在接下來的時間裡，挪威將決定浮動隧道是不是最好的選擇，如果是最好的選擇如何修建它才是最有效率的。天氣也對隧道的結構構成威脅，尤其是最近天氣情況在不斷惡化，所以維護費用也要作為一個重要的考慮因素。
One thing that probably won't factor in but should: how cool it is. If that were the only metric, it probably should've been built yesterday.
還有一個因素，挪威政府不會考慮，但是真的應該考慮一下，那就是——這個隧道多酷啊！如果這個因素是唯一指標，隧道昨天就該建成了。
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