– It will be good for everyone, says John Terje Lie, about the Flisa bridge possibly opening again soon. He lives close to the Arneberg bridge in Åsnes. This bridge is one of the detours after the Flisa bridge was closed following the bridge collapse at Tretten in August last year. – It doesn’t feel safe. When I’m riding my bike and cars come up behind me, I go up on the curb. He feels that there are fewer people walking along the roads, after the bridge was closed. – There is much more traffic. A lot of heavy transport going over, and a lot of buses, he says. DIVERSION: The almost 100-year-old Arneberg bridge is used as a detour. Photo: Anne Kari Løberg / news Several bridges closed When Tretten bridge in Gudbrandsdalen collapsed on 15 August last year, it was decided by the Road Directorate that 14 other wooden bridges of the same type should close. All the wooden truss bridges were physically inspected, and experts made control calculations to find out how much load the bridges could withstand. Several of the bridges could be reopened shortly after, but some of them have been closed since. One of them is the Flisa bridge in Åsnes, which was built 20 years ago. Investigations showed that the Flisa bridge must be reinforced in several of the junctions before it can be opened to normal traffic again. This is the status of the 14 bridges This is the status of the 14 bridges that were closed in August after Tretten bru fell. Opened for ordinary two-way traffic: Bruene Moumbekken (Fredrikstad). Tveit (Vang i Valdres) Majorplassen (Kongsberg) Shooting range (Grane, Nordland) Opened with reduced load: Norsenga (Kongsvinger). Evenstad (Greater Elvdal). Bliksland (Indre Østfold) Blakkesrud (Eidsvoll) Fjell-Leet (Eidsvoll) Must be closed while they wait for reinforcement measures: Flisa (Åsnes) Sundbyveien (Eidsvoll) Sletta (Eidsvoll) Skubbersenga (Eidsvoll) Statsrådvegen (Eidsvoll) Source: Norwegian Road Administration CLOSED: Flisa bridge has been closed for eight months. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Temporary solution may lead to opening On Tuesday, the anemometer and traffic lights, which are mounted on the Flisa bridge, were tested. The county municipality has made a proposal to the Road Directorate to open the bridge to traffic in one direction at a time, as long as there is no strong wind. In that case, this will be a temporary solution. RED LIGHT: It will light up red if there is strong wind on the Flisa bridge. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news If the wind is strong, the bridge will be closed with red traffic lights on both sides. The bridge is particularly vulnerable to strong winds. But now there is hope that the Flisa bridge can open to traffic in one direction under calm wind conditions if the Norwegian Road Administration deems it safe. – We don’t know anything about that happening, but if there is a clear signal from the Directorate of Roads, we will be able to open fairly quickly, says Siw Berg, construction manager in Innlandet County Municipality. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news She hopes that the bridge can open during May. – We see that it has been a great effort from everyone to manage this, but safety must come first. Can open at short notice If the Directorate of Roads approves the planned solution, the bridge will be opened for vehicles up to 60 tonnes. This is the weight load Flisa bridge is built to withstand. If there is a yes, most things are ready and the bridge can be opened at short notice, says Roy Erik Myrvang in Nortransport. He is responsible for the operation of the county roads in the area. – We have most everything ready and we expect a day or something like that, he says. FORT: The person responsible for operating the county roads in the area, Roy Erik Myrvang in Nortransport, says that the bridge can be opened at short notice. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news The Flisa bridge must be reinforced before it can possibly be opened to normal traffic again. Main reason for the need for reinforcement The National Roads Administration states that the main reason for the need for reinforcement of the bridges is: Inadequate consideration of temperature/humidity and wind forces. Direct design errors. Lack of conformity between design and execution during construction. Construction and that the bridges are sloppily built (lack of follow-up during the construction phase), which has resulted in damage that weakens the load-bearing capacity. Source: Statens vegvesen It is currently uncertain when the Directorate of Roads will make a final decision. – We are in close dialogue with Innlandet county council to clarify the matter, says Sigmund Log, section chief in the Directorate of Roads. Many have been frustrated The residents of Flisa have long been frustrated by the long detours. Around 1,900 people live in the area where it can be assumed that they use the bridge to get to and from the center of Flisa, shows an overview from Åsnes municipality. The farmers in the area in particular have been critical. TREE BRIDGE: The 20-year-old wooden bridge at Flisa was closed after the bridge collapse at Tretten on 15 August 2022. Photo: Anne Kari Løberg Not only have they had to drive long detours, but many find that the detours are narrow and dangerous for traffic. Several have also been dissatisfied with the information from the county council, and believe that what is wrong with the bridge should have been better communicated.
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Flisa bridge has been closed for eight months – can open at short notice
