Bentzen stated that the Norwegian Public Roads Administration does not give priority to E6 Saltfjellet and E10 Bjørnfjell – NRK

As a new winter knocks on the door, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has removed a major road project from its priority list.

In an updated list of projects that prioritize for the National Transportation Plan (PNT), the project “E6 / E10 Roads open in winter” is missing.

You get reactions:

– This has extreme consequences for us here in the north. It’s not socioeconomic gibberish, I don’t know.

This is what the Nordland county transport council, Bent-Joachim Bentzen (Sp) says.

The project consists of upgrading the E6 Saltfjellet, E10 Bjørnfjell and E6 Sennalandet mountain passes.

The price was 512 million.

Now the final handover from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to the Ministry of Transport has been scrapped.

Norway split 141 times this winter

Every winter Norway splits in two because the E6 over Saltfjellet must close. Last year it happened 141 times.

In total, this corresponds to 82 days with roads closed over Saltfjellet and Bjørnfjellet last winter.

The consequences are great: the seafood exporters alone lost up to NOK 20 million. People came to the empty store shelves. Many lined up on the mountain for several hours.

Now a new winter is coming, and many are worried about the paths that will find them.

Winter made it boil in Vegtrafikksentralen Nord-Norge.

– It is a serious situation when the transitions are closed. We know the people on the road who are in the queue and we have no choice when the country splits in two. Many had to wait several days, says technical operator Håvard Langmo.

Town Hall: – Eastern Norway eats money

Bentzen was initially satisfied with the proposal that came in March.

– This was a very good proposal that would improve the situation considerably. But then we see that projects in eastern Norway eat this money, says Bentzen.

Bentzen admits that last winter was extraordinarily demanding.

But last winter also showed that the most important transport years between the south and the north and internally in the north of Norway are very vulnerable.

– The report that was on the table would fine these 82 days closed and controlled by columns, but we see that Eastern Norway has priority in the final proposal.

The county councilor will now take the matter to the Minister of Transportation, Knut Arild Hareide.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration: – Did not achieve

Norway’s own Public Roads Administration wrote in their NTP proposal in March (pages 2 and 7):

‘The E6 Saltfjellet (Winter Open Roads) project will increase the robustness of the important and in practice the only land connection between southern Norway and northern Norway, making it less dependent on detours through Sweden.

This will be important for national social security.»

Director Kjell Inge Davik explains it all to NRK as follows:

– We have carried out new and comprehensive evaluations, which have led to shifting priorities across the country.

What’s new about NTP 2022–2033 is that they will only show projects in the first six-year period. Then have an allowance for the entire tranche in the second six-year period, according to Davik.

The winter open roads are in the second part of the project.

– We want to prioritize this as soon as possible, when we see that there is room for it. But now it didn’t come, he says.

The Government intends to submit a final proposal for the NTP 2022-2033 in the spring of 2021.

Davik says he still shares the county council’s concerns about the closed roads.

– We look forward to good collaboration with Nordland County on mitigation measures, until the project is completed.

NTP is reviewed every four years and will be released before Easter 2021.