The white coffin in Ølen church is surrounded by flowers and last greetings. Those who are going to say goodbye to Cecile Hegge Gundersen (35) on this sunny winter’s day are greeted by a smiling face at the entrance to the nave. The aisle in the church is covered in flowers. A red heart of red roses stands in front of the coffin. – She was skilled at her job. A mood spreader that was well liked and inclusive. This is according to regional director of Coop Sørvest, Trygve Vikse. On the morning of Monday 28 February, mother of three Cecilie Hegge Gundersen was on her way from her home in Ølen in Vindafjord to work at Coop in Etne municipality in Vestland. Photo: Olav Røli / news Bridge from the 1930s To get there, she drives the E134, the European road that connects the Southwest with both Oslo/Viken and Vestfold and Telemark. For several hundred thousand inhabitants of this part of Norway, this is the fastest and easiest road east-west. The road also connects the municipalities of Etne and Vindafjord. The road is heavily trafficked, and counts from the National Roads Administration show that over 4,000 cars and trailers on average use the road between the two municipalities every day. This is part of the E134 in Etne municipality. The bridge dates from 1936 and only has room for one car in the corridor. Photo: Olav Røli / news Figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration show that goods worth NOK 135 billion are transported on the route each year. Over 20 percent of the traffic on the E134 is heavy transport. But still over 15 kilometers of the road through Etne and Vindafjord is so narrow that there is no room for a yellow center stripe. The Institute of Transport Economics writes that the number of collision accidents can decrease by 40 per cent if the road gets a yellow stripe combined with grooves. The transport minister got to experience the road Transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygaard (Ap) got to experience this standard when he was on a bus trip along the E134 last week with both politicians and businesses from the region. He also got to hear the story of Cecilie Hegge Gundersen. – I want to tell the story of Cecilie. A cheerful southern lady who drove on this stretch that day. Cecilie came here, said Etne mayor Mette Heidi Bergsvåg Ekrheim on the bus. She explained and demonstrated the sharp right-hand turn that was the last stop for the 35-year-old. – Cecilie never came home to her three children and her husband, said the mayor. It was in this turn that Cecilie Hegge Gundersen lost her life. E134 through Etne and Vindafjord has over 15 kilometers of road which is so narrow that there is no room for a median strip. Photo: Olav Røli / news Meeting accident The evening after the accident, the employees at Coop Xtra in Etne were together. – This is primarily terrible for the family. But it is also difficult and demanding for us at Coop and for her colleagues at the workplace. It is particularly difficult to think that she was on her way to work when this happened, says Vikse in Coop Sørvest. Jarle Grindheim, who is geographical operations unit manager for the police in Etne and Vindafjord, says that there was an accident between a car and a heavier vehicle. – It was smooth in the town when the accident happened. We are now awaiting the report from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, he says. Ølen church and Cecilie Hegge Gundersen’s bier were decorated with many flowers during the funeral. Photo: Olav Røli / news Waiting for several decades Both the Etne mayor and Ole Johan Vierdal (Sp) in Vindafjord have been waiting for a new European road for a long time. As early as 2015, the municipal sub-plan for 40 kilometers of new road was ready. But the road is still not part of the National Transport Plan. – This is not worthy of a European road, states the Etne mayor. – It’s going far too late, says Vierdal from Vindafjord. Cecile Hegge Gundersen was buried last Friday, from Ølen church which is located right by the E134. Photo: Olav Røli / news Several young victims On the bus trip, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygaard also heard about another death. In August 2021, 28-year-old Helge Viken Håkull died when the train he was driving overturned on parts of the narrow E134 in Etne municipality. news has contacted the relatives of Viken Håkull. They are aware that news is reporting on the case, and believe that the poor standard of E134 has been known to the politicians for many decades. – It always makes an impression to hear about fatal accidents. We have nobody to lose, observes Nygaard. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygaard (Ap) was last week invited by local politicians and business to look at E134. Photo: Olav Røli / news But he had no concrete promises to make to the local politicians. – The road clearly needs an upgrade, but I can’t say anything about when that might happen, he says. According to the local newspaper Grannar, there have been many accidents on the E134 in recent years. The two mayors hope that the trip that Nygaard had could be an eye-opener. – This is not just a transport corridor between east and west. But our local road that we have to use every day, says Bergsvåg Ekrheim, who believes that the zero vision is not achievable with the poor standard. Cecile Hegge Gundersen was known as a cheerleader at her job at Coop. Photo: Olav Røli / news
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Cecilie Hegge Gundersen (35) lost her life in a traffic jam on the E134 – news Vestland
