Throughout Norway, many human-created subterranean tunnels played roles during World War II. Now, there are also mountains tunnels through which people drive. Tromsø is no exception. We avoid driving on difficult, mountainous terrain and dangerous falling rocks by placing our driving routes inside mountains. This also significantly shortens driving times, avoiding the necessity of driving around each mountain and winding fjord.
We have two external bridges to get off the island: Trømso Bridge (Tromsøbrua) and Sandnessund Bridge (Sandnessundbrua). However, the third and most recent connection to Tromø Island is an underwater highway called Tromsøysund Tunnel. Roy and I agree that it was probably more convenient to build something underwater in the 1990s than a bridge because it doesn’t hinder large ships like cruise ships, which are now a much more common sight than the small fishing vessels of the past.
According to Roy, this island’s infrastructure and population have grown steadily in the last fifty years. The northernmost university sits on this island, where I study, and a large population comes and goes with each school year. Although there are plenty of beautiful, natural sites thoughout the island that remain undeveloped, Roy remembers when the northern part of the island, where I now live, had only sheep, cows and little cabins. My time here has shown me that humans will shape an envionment to suit their needs virtually anywhere they land, even hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle.
