The tunnel will be 118 feet wide and a mile long and enable ships to pass throught he narrowest part of the Stad peninsula, in the western part of the country. The primary purpose of the tunnel, other than to save transport time for both freight and passenger ships, is to help those ships avoid the often treacherous waters of the Stadhavet Sea and the rocks and other hazards that dot that part of the country's coastline. Weather reports show that the number of story days a year in that part of the world can exceed 100; even on calm days, when the oft-present wind has disappeared, ships can struggle against waves coming from different directions.

The price tag of the tunnel is the equivalent of US$315 million. Much of that is to cover the costs of blasting through 8 million tons of rock.