Norway’s E10 project is officially underway

Hålogalandsvegen/Skanska will finance, build, maintain and operate a section of the E10 Hålogalandsvegen and Highway 85 Tjeldsund–Gullesfjordbotn–Langvassbukt north of the Arctic Circle.
By David Arminas August 7, 2023 Read time: 2 mins
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård at the controls of an excavator, helped by a Skanska employee, on site of the E10 Tjeldsund-Gullesfjordbotn-Langvassbukt road project (image courtesy Erik Betten/State Road Administration)

Construction of Norway’s largest transport project, the E10 Tjeldsund-Gullesfjordbotn-Langvassbukt road, officially got underway this month, according to Statens vegvesen, the country’s national road agency.

Near Fiskefjord in the Tjeldsund municipality, transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård took the controls of an excavator in a ceremonial start to the project that is part of European Route E10. But actual construction had started in March 2023 through early works agreements and is scheduled to be fully completed in December 2028. Also at the ceremony was says Stein Ivar Hellestad, chief executive of Skanska Norge.

The E10 is an important road westward to Lofoten and Vesterålen from the main E6 road. The PPP project will upgrade the road standards and shorten the E10 from Tjeldsund Bridge to Gullesfjordbotn by around 30km to cut the travel time on the entire section by 39 minutes. E10 is designed to strengthen the links between Lofoten, Vesterålen Harstad/Narvik Airport and the E6, supporting the integration of the wider region.

Skanska Norge, through the company’s special purpose company Hålogalandsvegen, and its subcontractors, will maintain and operate the road until November 2043, after which it will be handed over the Statens vegvesen.

Norwegian global consulting engineering and architectural firm Multiconsult, together with Aas-Jakobsen and ViaNova as subconsultants, is the main designer for Skanska. Financial consultancy PwC’s Norway business advised on the appointment of Skanska to build the E10 Tjeldsund-Gullesfjordbotn-Langvassbukt road which will connect the Lofoten Islands to the mainland.

Earlier this year, the Nordic Investment Bank signed agreed a loan to co-finance the 21-year public-private partnership between the Statens vegvesen (Norwegian Public Road Administration) and Hålogalandsvegen. Skanska will finance, build, maintain and operate a section of the E10 Hålogalandsvegen and Highway 85 Tjeldsund–Gullesfjordbotn–Langvassbukt north of the Arctic Circle.

In a statement, the bank noted that the €86 million loan covers construction of 82km of new and upgraded road, seven rock tunnels with a total length of 27km and several bridges with lengths ranging from 20m to 200m. The project will also include pedestrian and cycle routes and general improvements to local public transport facilities, laybys, rest areas and access roads.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Managing urban motorway complexity in Sydney
    October 4, 2012
    Sydney’s Hills M2 motorway is being widened while still carrying traffic and meeting tough environmental criteria More than 100,000 vehicles and over 27,000 bus commuters use the Hills M2 motorway on a typical workday, making it one of Sydney’s busiest motorway corridors. Owned and managed by Hills Motorway Ltd (HML) and a key part of the city’s orbital motorway network, the road stretches over 21km, providing a seamless link between the Lane Cove Tunnel and Westlink M7. The Hills M2 Upgrade is one of many
    Read More
  • Serbia and Bosnia consider options for a Belgrade-Sarajevo project
    December 19, 2016
    Serbia and Bosnia have started talks on constructing a fast highway between the Serbian capital Belgrade and Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbian Vice President Zorana Mihajlovic met with the Bosnian minister of transport, Ismir Jusko, to agree on forming a joint working group to consider routes and road construction, according to the Serbian newspaper B92. Mihajlovic said that Serbia's main focus is for building the 100km Pozega-Visegrad section, of which 60km is in Serbia and 40km in
    Read More
  • Faroes’ Streymoy-to-Sandoy Tunnel opens
    January 23, 2024
    The 10.8km-long Sandoy Tunnel connecting the islands of Streymoy and Sandoy opened in mid-December and is the longest subsea tunnel in the Faroe Islands.
    Read More
  • Province halts planned Vancouver bridge to replace Massey Tunnel
    September 14, 2017
    Canada’s province of British Columbia has stopped procurement for a proposed 10-lane US$2.8 billion bridge to replace the ageing George Massey Tunnel near Vancouver. Local media said the province would pay $1.65 million to two of the three shortlisted consortia which had already submitted bids for what is officially called the George Massey Tunnel Replacement project.
    Read More

Highlighted Content