Latest news with #NorwegianPublicRoadsAdministration
Local Norway
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Local Norway
'Vision Zero': Why are Norwegian roads so safe?
These 89 break down to just 16 deaths per million inhabitants, and represent a 14 percent reduction on the rate Norway reported in 2023. It is only one-fifth the death rate of Serbia, the country rated by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) as having the most dangerous roads. Sweden ranks second with 20 deaths per million inhabitants, and Denmark ranks fourth with 24. Finland with 31 is the worst performer in the Nordics. Germany, with 33, has double Norway's traffic death rate while Italy on 51, has triple Norway's rate. EXPLAINED: The dos and don'ts of driving in Norway Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Slovakia, and Ireland also had the lowest death rates per billion vehicle-km travelled. Norway has led the ETSC's Annual Road Safety Performance Index for ten years in a row, something the council puts down to its continual efforts to improve road safety, with 179 action measures in 15 priority areas in its current three-year road safety strategy, winning it the 2025 PIN Traffic Safety Award. Advertisement EXPLAINED: The ways you can lose your driving licence in Norway In a page in the index, Norway's transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård put the country's success down to its "systematic, evidence-based and long-term efforts", and particularly to its Vision Zero methodology. Norwegian cars increasingly, he said, travel within the speed limit thanks to hard-hitting publicity campaigns by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, automatic speed cameras, and traffic police with unmarked vehicles. Norway is aiming to reduce the number of road deaths still further to under 50 by 2030 and to reduce the number of serious injuries to under 350. To achieve this, Norway's government plans "increased control and enforcement", "targeted campaigns", and new cameras at known danger spots. The next few years will also see an increased focus on motorcycles and e-scooters.
Newsweek
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
World's Deepest Underwater Tunnel to Have Cars Drive 16 Miles Under the Sea
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Norway is building what is to become the longest and deepest road tunnel under the sea. The Rogfast project, measuring 26.7 kilometers (about 16.5 miles) and descending to 392 meters (nearly 1,300 feet) below sea level, is scheduled to open in 2033. The tunnel is a part of Norway's effort to connect a highway along the country's west coast. The current route—the E39—includes multiple ferry crossings and takes over 21 hours to drive. Once open, Rogfast will cut that journey by nearly half, easing travel between Stavanger and Bergen. Newsweek contacted the Norwegian Public Roads Administration for more information on the project's progress via email. Why It Matters The tunnel is one of several infrastructure works being built to remove ferry crossings on the E39 highway. The corridor runs from Kristiansand in the south to Trondheim in the north. Rogfast alone will link the municipalities of Randaberg and Bokn by road, replacing the need for ferry transport in this section. Images of construction work for the Rogfast tunnel in Norway. Images of construction work for the Rogfast tunnel in Norway. Skansa The region surrounding the route is home to key parts of Norway's economy, including the oil and seafood industries. Officials estimate Rogfast will carry 6,000 vehicles per day once it opens. Tolls are expected to be around £30, about $38, per trip, according to Euronews. What to Know Construction began in 2018 and is organized into three tunneling sections. Contractors Implenia/Stangeland Maskin are handling two of the three sections, while Skanska is building the third. Together, the segments include more than 37 kilometers (nearly 23 miles) of tunnel boring, including a central interchange under the sea near the island of Kvitsøy. A rendering of the Rogfast tunnel, which will be the deepest structure of its kind in the world once completed. A rendering of the Rogfast tunnel, which will be the deepest structure of its kind in the world once completed. Norwegian Public Roads Administration Crews are using drill-and-blast methods throughout, and will remove around 8 million cubic meters (over 280 million cubic feet) of rock. The twin tunnels, spaced nearly 50 feet apart, will each carry two lanes of traffic. Driving the full length will take about 35 minutes at 50 kilometers per hour (just over 30 mph). Ventilation shafts will extend more than 200 meters above the tunnels, and a road junction will be built beneath the seabed near Kvitsøy. The cost has been estimated between £1.45 billion and £1.74 billion (nearly $2 billion and $2.4 billion). The Norwegian government aims to provide about 40 percent of the funding. The rest will come from toll revenue once the tunnel opens. Images of construction work for the Rogfast tunnel in Norway. Images of construction work for the Rogfast tunnel in Norway. Implenia What People Are Saying Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews: "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce traveling time for workers as well when they are traveling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis." What's Next Tunneling is expected to finish by 2030. Installation of lighting, drainage, ventilation, and road surfacing will follow. Full operations are scheduled to begin in 2033.
Local Norway
11-04-2025
- Local Norway
Everything you need to know about travel in Norway for Easter 2025
Travel by road Kids break up for the Easter break, Påskeferie, once school ends on Friday, April 11th. However, according to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the roads aren't expected to be too busy on Friday. Friday 11th is expected to be similar to a normal Friday. The reason is that Easter is quite late this year, and it's been a poor year for snow in many mountainous areas. Therefore, many are expected to spend their Easter holidays close to the coast or in the lowlands, The worst traffic when travelling by road is expected on the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is a public holiday in Norway, meaning workers will then be off until the Tuesday after Easter Sunday. Those who will be heading to the roads on Wednesday are advised to avoid travelling around midday or the early afternoon. The public has also been asked to pay attention to the weather and road conditions before travelling. Those who will be driving over Easter can use the service to plan their journey. Air travel More than 1.6 million people are expected to travel via Norwegian airports over the Easter break. Friday, April 11th, will be the busiest day at Norwegian airports. This is according to the airport operator Avinor. Nearly one million trips will be domestic as many travel around the country to visit friends and family. Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger will see more than 141,000 travellers on Friday, so arriving at the airport in good time is recommended. This year is expected to be particularly busy for air travel. 'Even before the Easter outing had started, we saw numbers that beat last year's Easter by a good margin,' Thorgeir Landevaag, executive director for airports in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger, said in a press release . Advertisement Landevaag asked passengers travelling with hand luggage only to prepare extra well for security checks to minimise queues. Strikes have disrupted flights to Greece and Italy in recent days. However, it isn't clear if industrial action will continue over Easter. Travellers to the UK will need to be aware that operation workers at Gatwick Airport will strike over the Easter weekend. Rail travel Network rail operator Bane Nor typically uses Easter to carry out works on tracks , meaning that some rail travel will be disrupted. Bane Nor will work on the Spikkestadbanen and Hovedbanen lines from April 12th until April 27th. Furthermore, the Bergen Line between Hønefoss and Geilo will be closed from the afternoon of April 17th until the morning of Easter Sunday. Advertisement Work will also be carried out in Drammen in preparation for the new station opening in August. What else do I need to know? Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are all public holidays. This means you can expect large supermarkets to be closed, as well as things like banks. It will also be impossible to purchase alcohol on these days unless sitting in at a bar or restaurant. If you really get stuck, there will be convenience stores open, although don't expect much in the way of a selection if you have ambitious dinner plans. Museums and other attractions will also close.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. Related Fehmarn Belt Link: Do the benefits of the world's longest underwater tunnel outweigh the damage? The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Related Finland wants to build a bridge across the Baltic Sea to Sweden for better connections to Europe The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. Related Sweden is building the world's first permanent electrified road for EVs to charge while driving "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. Related Fehmarn Belt Link: Do the benefits of the world's longest underwater tunnel outweigh the damage? The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Related Finland wants to build a bridge across the Baltic Sea to Sweden for better connections to Europe The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. Related Sweden is building the world's first permanent electrified road for EVs to charge while driving "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
