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

  • Major UK tunnel project proposed
    August 19, 2016
    The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has put forward five alternate route options for a new highway connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. The project looks likely to include a major tunnel section measuring as much as 20-30km in length that would run under the Peak District. The aim of the project would be to cut journey times between the two cities as the existing transport routes are prone to peak period congestion and delays at present. The route would connect either the M60 or M67 motorw
  • Vietnam and Laos addressing road safety
    February 29, 2012
    Accident statistics from Laos and Vietnam reveal a growing awareness of the problems needing attention.
  • Advances in bitumen technology will boost surface wear life and quality
    September 19, 2012
    From chip fat to banana bags, the race is on to find new bitumen additives which will solve two problems with one solution: replace diminishing petrochemical-based products and make use from waste rather than landfilling it - Kristina Smith reports It is not just the desire to preserve our environment which is driving the industry’s search for products which don’t eat up raw materials. The hunger of emerging economies – particularly China – mean that resources can be hard to come by, so it makes sense for s
  • Latin America invests in infrastructure growth
    February 15, 2012
    Travelling in one of the world's most diverse regions is not always easy, but spectacular engineering feats will make life easier as Patrick Smith reports. Five years ago a report from the World Bank noted that infrastructure in most of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) had improved over the previous ten years.