Skip to main content

Norwegian tunnels needs safety improvements

Investigations into tunnel safety in Norway have revealed that there are 148 requiring safety upgrades. The 148 tunnels do not meet current EU safety requirements. The EU's road tunnel safety directive was introduced in 2007 and the deadline for the work to be carried out is April 1st, 2019. The necessary upgrade is estimated to cost €873.82 million.
August 17, 2015 Read time: 1 min
Investigations into tunnel safety in Norway have revealed that there are 148 requiring safety upgrades. The 148 tunnels do not meet current EU safety requirements. The EU's road tunnel safety directive was introduced in 2007 and the deadline for the work to be carried out is April 1st, 2019. The necessary upgrade is estimated to cost €873.82 million.

A risk analysis for tunnel fires presented by the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap) in 2014 reveals that that there have been an average of 21 fires/year in Norwegian tunnels during the last eight years. Luckily, most of the fires are small with limited consequences. The analysis, involving 67 tunnels, shows that heavy vehicles were involved in seven out of 12 fires.

Related Content

  • Highways England and Keir trial warning airbag
    May 3, 2021
    “Home Safe and Well”* is not just an inflated phrase put out by Highways England to raise awareness of work zone dangers
  • Road safety challenge for Europe
    June 25, 2012
    The latest official figures on road safety in Europe are giving cause for concern, with data showing that casualty reduction has slowed. EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas recently announced disappointing progress in casualty reduction on Europe's roads. The joint European police association, TISPOL, has added that it is also concerned that improvements in cutting fatalities on Europe’s roads significantly slowed in 2011. The overall figure shows a reduction of just 2% in the total number of people kille
  • Improving water management from roads
    August 19, 2015
    A new road design can improve local water supplies. A new road design could help mitigate heavy flooding during rainy seasons and alleviate water shortages in dry periods. This innovative concept is a winner in the IRF’s Global Road Achievement Awards, in the Environmental Mitigation category. Road designs often exacerbate issues arising from heavy rainfall. However, a new initiative is making roads instruments for harvesting wate and for improving land productivity along the roads. The Roads for Water and
  • Tunnel for Colombia’s Calarca – Cajamarca Highway
    May 23, 2014
    A new tunnel is forming an important link for a major Colombian highway - Mauro Nogarin reports Work on a major highway project is underway in Colombia, forming part of the Bogota-Buenaventura Corridor. The highway has a length of 503km and is located in central Colombia, connecting the departments of Tolima and Quindio, across the central Andes, with a total cost of around US$330 million. A key section of the project consists of building a unidirectional tunnel of approximately 8.65km in length. Anot