Skip to main content

Norway’s fire-damaged Skatestraum tunnel to remain closed until 2016

Repair costs for the fire-ravaged undersea Skatestraum tunnel in Bremanger have risen to nearly US$4.7 million, according to Norwegian media reports. Repairs will run into next year when the tunnel, on Norway’s southern North Sea coast, will re-open, although no date was given, the Norwegian media outlet E24 said. The tunnel, nearly 2km long, was opened only in 2002 at a cost of nearly $39 million. No one was injured in the accident when the tunnel was severely damaged by fire on July 15. A tanker
August 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Repair costs for the fire-ravaged undersea Skatestraum tunnel in Bremanger have risen to nearly US$4.7 million, according to Norwegian media reports.

Repairs will run into next year when the tunnel, on Norway’s southern North Sea coast, will re-open, although no date was given, the Norwegian media outlet E24 said.

The tunnel, nearly 2km long, was opened only in 2002 at a cost of nearly $39 million.

No one was injured in the accident when the tunnel was severely damaged by fire on July 15. A tanker truck carrying 16,000 litres of gasoline crashed and its leaking fuel caught ignited.

The driver reportedly managed to stop and turn around vehicles entering the tunnel. He later said that he experienced a brake failure in the deepest part of the tunnel, at 91m below sea level.

The Skatestraum Tunnel runs between the islands of Rugsundøya and Bremangerlandet in Bremanger Municipality.

Related Content

  • TISPOL: drink driving continues to be a pan-European concern
    January 18, 2016
    Drink-drive enforcement still has issues in Europe, according to pan-European police body TISPOL Drink-driving is the cause of around 5,000 road deaths in Europe. In the UK alone, it is estimated that 230 (14%) of the country’s 1,713 road deaths are due to drinking and driving. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland the limit for driving is still 80mg (0.8) of alcohol/100ml of blood. Scotland reduced its limit to 50mg (0.5) of alcohol/100ml of blood in December 2014, bringing it into line with most
  • The power of water
    July 18, 2012
    The popularity of hydrodemolition is growing worldwide and was the specified solution for work on two vital Swedish links The hydrodemolition technique, which uses high pressure water jets to remove damaged concrete from various structures, is playing a crucial role in the major restoration of the vital Central Bridge and Söderled Tunnel in the centre of Sweden's capital Stockholm. The 1,550m dual two-lane rectangular box Söderled Tunnel and connecting dual two and three-lane Central Bridge are a vital 2.6k
  • Report on cost of US crashes
    March 11, 2016
    A comprehensive analysis of crash statistics in the US reveals the shocking cost of vehicle crashes. The report has been collated by the by the US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and is based on details collated for 2010. The report states that in 2010 there were 32,999 fatalities, 3.9 million injured, and 24 million vehicles damaged following crashes in the US. The economic costs of these crashes totalled US$242 billion. Included in these losses are lost
  • Sandvik’s DT1131i jumbo and iSURE software in Iceland and Norway
    August 14, 2019
    Sandvik’s DT1131i three-boom, electro-hydraulic jumbo, iSURE tunnel management software and the latest drill bit hardware were recently put to the test in Iceland and Norway* Czech contractor Metrostav recently achieved 105m of tunnel excavation in a record-breaking six days. But it will be consistent performance and progress that will see Iceland’s Dyrafjordurgong Tunnel in the remote Westfjords region open on time and on budget. The 5.3km Dyrafjordurgong Tunnel is costing around €69 million and due