Norway may build the world's first tunnel for ships

Stretching over 15 miles, Norway's Lærdal Tunnel has been the longest road tunnel in the world since it was built in the 1990s.

Now, the country is trying to construct the world's first tunnel for ships - which would see between 70 and 120 vessels per day.

As noted by BBC News, the tunnel started gaining public support in the 1980s, and the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) has since embarked on several feasibility studies to see how it could be realized.

Terje Andreassen, the tunnel's project manager, tells Business Insider that the NCA will submit its findings to Norway's Department of Transport in May 2017. The project would need to be fully financed by the Norwegian Parliament, which has already designated approximately $117 million ($1 billion NOK) for the NCA's research.

If the plans are approved, construction could start as early as 2019, Andreassen says.

The NCA worked with Snøhetta, an Oslo-based architecture firm, to create renderings of what the tunnel would look like. Check them out below.