Vaðlaheiðargöng – Vadlaheidi Tunnel is 7,5 km (4,7 miles) long and shortens the Ring Road by 16 km (10 miles). It also bypasses the Víkurskarð Mountain Road, a hazard for drivers in bad weather. Drivers need to pay road toll, but no toll booths or pay machines are around. Instead, travellers must pay on the website www.tunnel.is within 24 hours before or after driving through the tunnel, to aviod extra charges from the Car Rentals.
In the process of drilling the tunnel, they came across an unexpected abundance of geothermal hot water of 46°C (115°F) and also cold water of 7°C (45°F), that is now used for a geothermal bath, Skógarböð (Forrest Lagoon).
