Norway's tunnel improvements

Tougher legislation on tunnel safety means that Norway will have to invest heavily in upgrading underground road links.
March 2, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Tougher legislation on tunnel safety means that Norway will have to invest heavily in upgrading underground road links. Many of the country's existing road tunnels were built in the 1980s and 1990s and no longer meet the latest European requirements on road tunnels, introduced after two disasters that caused major fatalities in Switzerland and Austria. A new study suggests that the country's road tunnels may require up to €890 million to meet the current requirements. The Norwegian road authority's western division says that it will need to spend some €496 million at the end of 2011, a substantial increase from the €147 million spent in 2006. Norway has 1,050 tunnels in its total road network and the cost of the upgrades required will be revealed shortly in a detailed report being produced by the road authority, 1208 Statens Vegvesen. Although Norway and Switzerland are not in the EC, the countries do agree on certain legislation such as road safety with 3287 EU member nations.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Success of toll road operators' conference
    July 12, 2012
    The 37th ASECAP Annual Study and Information Days held in Krakow, Poland, gathered some 300 road transport CEOs, experts and government decision-makers making the event "a huge success." Patrick Smith reports Toll road operators from across Europe have met to discuss the state of their businesses in the current economic climate and how to tackle it. Fabrizio Palenzona, the outgoing President of ASECAP (the European professional Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures) and president of AISCAT (
    Read More
  • Norway drops tender plans for second Sotra fixed link
    February 18, 2019
    Statens Vegvesen, the Norwegian Road Administration, has cancelled tender plans for a new Sotra fixed link project that were scheduled for the spring. Jon Georg Dale, minister of transport, recently told the Norwegian Parliament that the geology near Lake Storavatnet along the route of the project, of which the second bridge would be a part, has caused concern among planners. Also, reconstruction of a high-voltage power cable has come under questions. Helge Eidsnes, a regional manager of Statens Vegve
    Read More
  • France a star in road safety
    September 3, 2012
    In the past, France had a poor road safety record. This has turned around to make the country a success story
    Read More
  • Norway mulls new routes across the vast Hardangervidda plateau
    November 2, 2015
    Norway is considering proposals for another route across over the vast Hardangervidda, one of Europe’s largest plateaux and most of which is a national park. The Norwegian Road Administration (Statens Vegvesen) said one proposal would incorporate a 6km tunnel at a cost more than €216 million, according to a report the Nationen newspaper.
    Read More

Highlighted Content