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

  • Concern at high number of motorcycle deaths in US
    May 20, 2016
    Concern has been expressed at the high number of fatalities involving motorcycle users in the US during 2015. Preliminary figures from state authorities show that over 5,000 people were killed in motorcycle crashes in the US over the course of 2015. The full data has yet to be compiled and analysed but these early figures suggest an increase in motorcyclist deaths of 10% for 2014 compared with 2015, or around 450 more people killed than in the year previously. The report was released as part of the Gove
  • New guidelines to improve highway emergency response
    July 6, 2012
    New guidelines have been introduced to improve how the Highways Agency (HA) and emergency services work together. Under the guidelines, part of a Government strategy to reduce the US$1.5billion (£1bn) cost of motorway incidents, the police, fire and ambulance services and the HA have signed up to the CLEAR booklet - drawn up by Agency to tackle congestion caused by lane closures. Launched last year by Roads Minister Mike Penning, The CLEAR (Collision, Lead, Evaluate, Act, Reopen) initiative aims to get tra
  • Warm mix use in the US and Czech Republic is strong
    May 20, 2014
    The Czech Republic has seen its first ever use of warm mix produced using additive Evotherm - and a survey carried out in the US shows that warm mix is still on the rise there - Kristina Smith reports The troubled Blanka Tunnel in Prague will see the Czech Republic’s first ever use of Evotherm warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology. The 6km tunnel is the longest urban motorway tunnel in Europe and will take the north-west section of the city ring road below ground. Designed as dual carriageway throughout w
  • Tunnels - an environmentally attractive option?
    February 21, 2012
    While tunnels are often more expensive than bridges, they can offer environmentally attractive options for transport schemes. Tunnels offer environmentally attractive options for a range of transport infrastructure schemes, but in many cases high construction costs may restrict their use.