– We feel misled. That we have been pushed to make a decision a little too early, a little too quickly. We would prefer to have bid in the house, if nothing happens first, says the 52-year-old. Vegar Sellevold bought the house at Stanghelle from his grandmother in 1995. He lives here with his wife, children and a cat. In the middle of the city centre, between Bergen and Voss. For a long time he has been in anticipation that the state will have to buy his house, and then demolish it. The house stands in the way of the development of the new E16 and the Vossebanen on the very landslide-prone section between Arna and Stanghelle. BEFORE: Vegar Sellevold’s house is the green one with a garage at the bottom left of the picture. Around the middle of the picture, the new train station at Stanghelle will come. Far to the right you see today’s Vossebanen. The picture is taken from north to south. Swipe to see how it will be. AFTER: This is what the new station will look like. The illustration shows from south to north, so Vegar Sellevold’s house would have stood directly to the right of the station up by the sea. Difficult situation But now he believes the government has created an unforeseeable and difficult situation for his family and other neighbors who will have their house demolished: At the end of August, they were told that they must move earlier than they had expected, because the Swedish Road Administration and Bane Nor will start work at Stanghelle in 2025. That is why he and his wife bought the last apartment in a new building project at Stanghelle, with occupancy in the summer of 2024. Such projects are rare in the small village and Sellevold therefore refers to it as an “urgent purchase”. The written notice from the Norwegian Road Administration that they want to buy his house came in a letter dated 5 October 2022. But then, the next day, came the shocking announcement from the government: They are cutting the funds for the joint project of the Norwegian Road Administration and Bane Nor. They needed NOK 200 million for preliminary work towards a planned start in 2024. Now the development will be delayed by at least 1.5 years. Most of it was actually clear. The regulatory plan has been approved and development is prioritized in the National Transport Plan. Now no one knows when the money will arrive and construction can begin. SACRIFICE THE HOUSE: Vegar Sellevold (52) is in favor of the development of the new E16 and Vossebanen, even if it takes his house. Now he is frustrated that the Swedish Road Administration has lost the money to prepare for the start of construction in 2024. Photo: Jon Bolstad / news Gruar seg Sellevold is actually ready to sacrifice the house. A new and safe E16, as well as a new railway, is an important issue for him and the villagers. – It is a project that will save lives. People drive this road between Bergen and Oslo and the way the road is today, it is a scandal. Despite the fact that the government has now put the brakes on Sellevold still expects to have to give up the house towards the end of 2024. This has created a difficult situation for the 52-year-old. He is strongly attached to his house and dreads the sight that will often meet him in the village if construction is greatly delayed, or never gets started. – The saddest thing is that the house can remain standing and decay for many years before it is demolished, says Sellevold and swallows heavily. – What should I say? Off. I can’t hope there will be a new “Ringeriksbanen”. The new E16 and Vossebahn joint project between Arna and Stanghelle Illustration: Norwegian Road Administration The development of the new E16 and Vossebahn between Arna and Stanghelle is Norway’s largest tunnel project. A total of 80 kilometers of road and rail tunnels will be built. The price tag is NOK 26.4 billion, with the road costing NOK 13.7 billion and the railway costing NOK 12.7 billion. Several billions are saved by the development taking place in parallel. Today, the stretch is very prone to landslides and accidents. The E16 between Bergen and Voss is the most landslide-prone European road in Norway. – A new E16 and the Vossebanen Arna-Stanghelle will provide increased traffic safety, predictable transport, increased capacity for goods on the track and reduced travel time, according to the National Road Administration and Bane Nor. They summarize the background for the development as follows: Arna-Stanghelle-Voss is an important part of the main corridor for transport between Bergen and Oslo, both by road and rail. Today, the road and railway section is characterized by low standards, tunnels in great need of maintenance and upgrades, and areas prone to landslides. This results in an inefficient and predictable travel route for road users and businesses and large costs for society. In addition, there are many traffic jams. The main problem is especially the many serious collision accidents. The state zoning plan was approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Districts on 01.04.2022. The project is prioritized in the first part of the National Transport Plan (2022–2033) and with the necessary permits construction would be possible to start in 2024. In the autumn of 2022 the Ap/Sp government removed the money for further planning of the project and therefore postponed the development indefinitely. NORWAY’S LARGEST TUNNEL PROJECT: The joint development of the new E16 and the Vosse railway between Arna and Stanghelle has a price tag of NOK 26 billion. The project is prioritized in the first part of the National Transport Plan and the regulatory plan was approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs this spring. Illustration: Red Ant / Norwegian Public Roads Administration Works out the year with house purchases Also for the project group in Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Bane Nor, the cut to the Ap/Sp government came suddenly. Project manager Katrine Sælensminde Erstad in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration understands the frustration of homeowners like Sellevold. But in order to keep the progress on the project up until the current period, work will continue with the land acquisition processes that are already underway. – But we are in dialogue with the landowners, and through that I think we can come to an agreement on something, says Erstad. PROJECT MANAGER: Katrine Sælensminde Erstad in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration manages the joint project Arna-Stanghelle together with Bane Nor. Photo: Jon Bolstad / news Understands the frustration If the other parties in the Storting do not negotiate the money back into the final national budget in December, the Swedish Road Administration will abandon work on Arna – Stanghelle in 2023. news has requested an interview with transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap ). He had no time to ask. State Secretary Mette Gundersen (Ap) in the Ministry of Transport understands that their budget cut creates an untenable situation for homeowners in Vaksdal and Stanghelle. But there are many who are facing uncertain times and it is therefore “safe governance” that is required, Gundersen believes. – The world looks very different now than it did a year ago when we came into government. There is a big picture behind the priorities the government has made. The economy is at a point where there is a risk of overheating, so that individuals, for example, can get such a high interest rate on their home loan that they are unable to pay it.
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Bought a new flat when the Swedish Road Administration said they were going to take the house. Then came the E16 cut – news Vestland
