Two years ago, Emilie Moi Eikje (35) took over the family farm in Bokn, the tiny municipality of 855 people in the north of Rogaland. She quit the office to become a farmer. He had plans to do that for the rest of his professional career. But recently she received a message from the National Roads Administration which means that the plans have been given a shot in the arm: A four-lane motorway can be built through her garden. – It will take the whole garden, the cultivated field and the view. It will destroy everything, says Eikje, who did not expect the motorway to become a problem when she took over the farm from her parents. In Bokn, 20 households may be affected by the plans. This constitutes around five per cent of the population of 855 in the municipality. Emilie Moi Eikje has 120 sheep, 35 cows, and also fattening pigs and horses on the farm. Photo: Rosa Iren Villalobos Will save 30 minutes with new road Ferry-free E39 is Norway’s biggest transport project ever. One of the plans in the project is to build a motorway with four lanes between Bergen and Stavanger. If the plan becomes a reality, it will be possible to travel between the two big cities in two hours. That is half of today’s journey time by car. And this is where the 67 kilometer stretch between Bokn in Rogaland and Bømlafjorden in Vestland comes in. Here, it is possible to save around 30 minutes with a new road, according to the Norwegian Road Administration. Connecting Bokn and Bømlafjorden more closely is an important part of the goal of being able to drive between Bergen and Stavanger in two hours. Photo: Magnus Ekeli Mullis This week, the Road Administration presents a so-called “plan program” for the E39 for the section. A planning program is important, because it defines which area should be cleared out and ultimately become a smooth new road. First, the proposal will go out for consultation. A total of 140 households on the stretch from Bokn to Sveio have received a letter in the post. Here it says that their property may be hit by a motorway in the future. Farmer Emilie Moi Eikje believes uncertainty will be hard to bear. She wants to build a new barn for the cows, but does not dare to invest if there is a motorway there instead. – If I lose my agricultural land, I cannot produce food for the animals. Then I’ll either have to start buying food or shut down, says Eikje. The consequences of these two road corridors will be analyzed further. Photo: Magnus Ekeli Mullis The mayor critical In the planning programme, the Swedish Road Administration has prepared two alternatives for a road through Bokn. Both have large areas of conflict, writes the Swedish Road Administration. The new mayor of the municipality, Egil Våge (Sp), would like the proposal to take less agricultural land, heather and heather. He fears that all investment and development in the municipality will be frozen while waiting for a decision on the motorway. The mayor believes people will move from Bokn if one of the proposals becomes a reality. – We have nothing to offer in the way of building plots or replacement plots, says Våge. The new mayor Egil Våge (Sp) and the recently resigned mayor Osmund Våga (Sp) agree that the Swedish Road Administration’s proposal places restrictions on Bokn which could negatively affect the municipality. Photo: Rosa Iren Villalobos Here are the two road corridors being outlined by the Norwegian Road Administration. Photo: Magnus Ekeli Mullis The recently resigned mayor of the municipality Osmund Våga (Sp) is not particularly excited either. He also believes that it will burden the municipality that there are not one, but two, proposals for a road through Bokn. – If there are two such zones, they will band together large parts of the built-up area in Bokn. We cannot accept that, because it will set such large limits on development, says Våga. In both proposals there is a large area of conflict. Photo: Magnus Ekeli Mullis National Road Administration: – Everyone wants to know someone who has been hit Henry Damman, head of planning in the National Road Administration, makes no secret of the fact that the road can have negative consequences for untouched nature and residents in Bokn, Tysvær and Sveio. – It is very dramatic. Everyone wants to know someone who is a victim. But we want to sort this out now, says Damman, who says that it will be two and a half years before the Norwegian Public Roads Administration will recommend one of the two outlined sections. Henry Damman is head of planning in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Rosa Iren Villalobos And when can the road be ready? It is uncertain. First, he must find a place in the National Transport Plan, in the state budget and in local and regional priority lists. If everything goes according to plan for the road authorities, cars will be able to roll on the road sometime between 2038 and 2040. And the positive consequences? – The local community can get a new, safer and more accessible road, says Damman.
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Farmer Emilie (35) can get a four-lane motorway through the farm – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
