– In one stretch, the road hangs up the side of the mountain. There is a cliff on one side, and 30-40 meters straight down on the other side. Should someone tip off here before something is done? For Svein Terje Brekke, near misses have become part of the everyday when he drives on the E134 through the municipalities of Vindafjord and Etne. Two or three times a week he drives the 24 meter long container truck with trailer between Haugesund and Åmot in Telemark. There is not enough space for large vehicles to pass each other at certain points between Bakka and Solheim. The wheel tracks are from another train that met the bus. It got damage along the side. PHOTO: TORSTEIN RAMSTAD – In several places it is so narrow that heavy vehicles cannot pass each other. In addition, some of the bends are so tight that we have to lie down to get around. Then you sit with your heart in your throat, because you know there is oncoming traffic. E134 is the main connection between East and West Norway. For several hundred thousand inhabitants of this part of Norway, this is the fastest and easiest way. The bend before Håfoss bridge is so tight that long and heavy vehicles have to stretch out to make the bend. Then there is no room for two vehicles. Photo: Privat Vegen 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. Figures from the Norwegian Road Administration show that goods worth 135 billion are transported on the route each year. Over 20 percent of the traffic on the E134 is heavy transport. 37 km without a yellow stripe. Several sections have had new and better roads in recent years. But on the stretch between Bakka and Solheim in Etne and Vindafjord municipalities, very little has happened. The road is too narrow for a yellow stripe. This means that the road width is narrower than six metres. When the wagon train the film is from meets another wagon train, the driver has to back up a little so that there will be room to pass. PHOTO: TORSTEIN RAMSTAD – This is the bottleneck on the west side. A European road is a very important export road, and then a European road must have a yellow stripe, says the daily manager of E134 Haukelivegen, Pål Kårbø. The interest organization is working to get a good road on the entire E134. They are reacting to the fact that Bakka-Solheim has once again been removed from the National Roads Administration’s priority list. – We are very disappointed that he has been removed from the priority list. Last time we managed to get it back in politically. On 31 March this year, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration presented its proposal for a priority list for the next National Transport Plan (NTP). On it, a number of road projects, which were previously contained, were taken out. – We have received very clear guidelines from the Ministry of Transport and Communications with very low investment funds in the assignment. This means that we have space for far fewer projects than we have normally done, says development director Kjell Inge Davik. – Why is Bakka-Solheim out? Development director in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Kjell Inge Davik. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – It is because he is much lower on the priority list than the other projects that are there. Mayors surprised But in the proposal for NTP from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, it is uncertain how the road section will be financed, which is the argument for removing it from the priority list. The mayors in Vindafjord and Etne municipalities are surprised by the grounds for removing the road section that runs through their municipalities. – It says that we are the ones who have to work out whether the road section can be financed with tolls. But we have asked for that explanation from the Swedish Road Administration. We await an answer to that. It is perfectly clear from our side. On the way down Geitaberget, where the road is too narrow for two heavy vehicles to pass each other. Photo: private Davik denies that the uncertainty surrounding tolls on the stretch is why she is out. – We know that there is a will to find a solution to financing in the municipalities. The main reason is that Bakka-Solheim is so far down the priority list today that the funds are not enough. Until the government submits its proposal to NTP next spring, municipalities, county councils, business and interest organizations must submit their consultation responses. Will get an answer next spring In Rogaland, there have already been several input meetings under the auspices of the county council. There, Bakka-Solheim has been pointed out as one of the important road projects that must be on the priority list. – We have to gather around a few projects to gain traction when the government announces that there will be less money for road projects. Then the E134 and E39 point out with us, says Ole Ueland, leader of the transport committee. Mayor of Vindafjord, Ole Johan Vierdal. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen – It is extremely important to get Bakka-Solheim back into NTP. It shouldn’t be out if you ask me. We do what we can to influence and get it back in, says Vierdal. At the end of February, a woman died in a traffic accident on her way to work. Just over a week later, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård came to visit, to, among other things, see with his own eyes the stretch where there have been several fatal accidents. To Haugesund’s Avis, he said after the bus trip that it was clear that the road needs improvement, but that it is possible for heavy vehicles to pass each other. – I get completely frustrated when the top political leadership is unable to see what the problem is. I don’t know what we should do. Should we wait until someone tips outside Geitaberget or should we have even more accidents in Stordalen?, asks Svein Terje Brekke. Svein Terje Brekke has been driving on the E134 since 1993. For him, near misses have become part of the everyday. Photo: Bjørg S.Brekke It is not possible to get a clear answer to that when news forwards the question to Nygård in the Ministry of Transport. On a general basis, State Secretary Cecilie Knibe Kroglund replies that one fatal accident is always one too many. But she promises that the stretch will be carefully assessed if she is to get back on the priority list. – I have received the priority list from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and the other transport companies. The proposal is not conclusive on what the final transport plan will look like next spring. Many questions will be answered then, says Knibe Kroglund.
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Four miles between Bakka and Solheim on the E134 will not be prioritized – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
