Skip to main content

Norway mega-project contract for Fugro

The largest road project in Norway’s history has seen Fugro win a second major contract from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). The work on the E39 Coastal Highway is for the construction of a 1,100km route from Kristiansand in the south to Trondheim in central Norway. This project is expected cost around €34.4 billion (NOK 340 billion).
December 20, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The new coastal route will improve transport for Norway. E39 Orthomap Courtesy of Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA)
The largest road project in Norway’s history has seen 6202 Fugro win a second major contract from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). The work on the E39 Coastal Highway is for the construction of a 1,100km route from Kristiansand in the south to Trondheim in central Norway. This project is expected cost around €34.4 billion (NOK 340 billion).

Fugro is set to begin a year-long contract, valued at approximately €7.7 million (NOK 76 million), to carry out seabed investigations in four fjord locations where vast engineering projects are planned. The fjords - Vartdalsfjorden, Sulafjorden, Romsdalsfjorden and Halsafjorden – are in the county of Møre og Romsdal. The work is in addition to a 12-year environmental measurement programme relating to the major route, won by Fugro in 2016.

The geophysical and geotechnical data acquired by Fugro will help inform foundation designs of the bridge and tunnel solutions for the fjord crossings along the coastal route. Above and below sea level tunnels; an end-anchored floating bridge; a submerged floating tube bridge; and multi-span suspension bridge are amongst the innovative solutions being considered by NPRA to provide an improved E39 without ferries (currently seven ferries are used along the route). The new Coastal Highway will be almost 50km shorter and will cut in half the current journey time of around 21 hours.

Fugro’s work is split into two phases. Phase 1 encompasses geophysical mapping of the fjord-crossing areas and two vessels will be used to acquire geophysical and shallow geotechnical data. Survey vessel Fugro Helmert will cover shallow, nearshore areas to acquire multi-channel sparker data. From the second vessel Fugro will acquire detailed geophysical data in the deeper parts of the fjords using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and will also undertake seabed sampling and cone penetration testing.

With a planned start date of August 2018, phase 2 will see Fugro perform geotechnical drilling at selected locations as defined by the geophysical data acquired in the first phase. For deeper geotechnical drilling during phase 2, the high-tech drillship Fugro Synergy will be introduced.

“We started working with NPRA on the E39 Coastal Highway project last summer with a long-term programme to measure wind profiles, ocean waves and current profiles at three fjords,” explained Dag Sigurd Stensholt, Fugro’s business development manager in Norway. “It makes us very proud to add our marine site characterisation services to such a huge and important venture.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Kapsch TrafficCom’s the Tolling Wizard of Oz
    April 4, 2014
    Standfirst: Leading tolling technology solution manufacturer Kapsch TrafficCom has recently been appointed to deliver two major electronic tolling projects in Australia, as Guy Woodford reports Kapsch TrafficCom’s new key Australian contracts will see the Austrian firm use its multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) single gantry solution on the Eastern Distributor toll road in Sydney and the Legacy Way toll road in Brisbane. The MLFF single gantry solution includes innovative stereoscopic vehicle detection and classi
  • Road repairs take to the air
    November 29, 2018
    Automated road repairs using 3D printing could save money and reduce disruption, reports Kristina Smith It’s the middle of the night and in the street below a team is busy carrying out repairs to the road surface. But there isn’t a human in sight. A road-repair drone has landed at the site of a crack and a 3D asphalt printer is now busy filling in that crack. A group of traffic cone drones have positioned themselves around the repair location to protect the repair drone and divert traffic around it.
  • Louis Berger wins key India bridge deal
    January 10, 2018
    Louis Berger has been awarded the management contract for the Versova-Bandra Sea Link project in India. The US$17 million project management services deal was awarded to the firm by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The construction of the Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) is estimated to cost some $1 billion and will take 54 months to complete. “We are honored to play a major role in one of the largest infrastructure projects — not just in Mumbai, but in India,” said Kshitish
  • Switzerland’s new tunnel bore being built
    April 19, 2018
    A major new road tunnel project is being constructed in Switzerland – Mike Woof writes Construction work is now underway in Switzerland for the new Belchen Tunnel bore, a project that has resulted from the country’s long-term infrastructure planning. The building of this latest tunnel is important for Switzerland economically as it will deliver an upgraded link for a major transport infrastructure connection. When it is complete, the tunnel will form part of the vital A2 route between Basel, in the north