Since 11.30 on Thursday, the Swedish Road Administration has reported convoy driving on the E 134 above Haukelifjell. But in practice the Europavegen has been closed since 2pm, when a column of 40 cars got stuck on the west side of the Haukelitunnelen. Margit Ramsrud was on her way west, but has been standing and waiting at the front of the queue in the Haukelitunnel since 3pm. – Neither convoy nor lead car has arrived, and the tunnel mouth directly in front of us is covered by at least one meter of snow, she told news at 7 p.m. At the same time, traffic operator Stian Molteberg in the Southern Road Traffic Center said, however, that according to their knowledge, there was still continuous convoy driving . Fear of a night in the tunnel Three quarters of an hour later – at 19.45 – the Road Administration reported that the road was closed due to bad weather. After the announcement of closure, Ramsrud said that there were many motorists who had to spend the night in the Haukelitunnelen. – We have now learned that the next update will come at 6 o’clock Friday morning, perhaps earlier. But that we should be able to drive a column now is completely unrealistic, she said. Ramsrud was on his way from Bærum to Suldal. She drove early in the afternoon to avoid the storm, but was stopped in the Haukeli tunnel before the descent to Røldal. For a long time she trusted that she would get on, since the Swedish Road Administration reported all afternoon and early evening that there was a convoy. But when the Swedish Road Administration finally reported that the road was closed, it was too late to turn around. – For now, the road is also closed to the east, she said. Margit Ramsrud is one of the many motorists who have stood in the Haukelitunnelen since 3pm. Photo: Privat 40 was stuck in the snow At 21:00 Ramsrud said that the plow crew had finally arrived at the tunnel opening in the west. – Now they have made their way to the tunnel in single file. But the weather and the wind only get worse. And according to Yr, the wind will double during the night, she says. Olav Stana manages the plowing crew at the plowing station at Haukeliseter. – A column of forty cars got stuck at 2pm today. The wind went from 16 to 24 meters per second in three to four minutes. That was what made it a mess. He says that the problem comes quickly when a car gets stuck. – Then it only takes a few minutes before the other cars are snowed in, and I have to clear every single car. – Get everyone down before midnight At 21.30 he tells news that there have been cars in all the tunnels waiting, but that the road authorities hope to help them down from the mountain. – Now I empty the mountain of cars and go on with milling machines and trucks, and try to keep a gap open. So that if there is a little less wind and precipitation during the night, I have the opportunity to open for column driving. He says the goal is that no cars will have to stand in the tunnels through the night. – We have to try to get them down from the mountain. There are up to 35 cars in the Haukelitunnelen heading west. I dare not take everything at once. They take me in three stages, maybe in an hour’s time. At 10.40 p.m., Stana says that the road is now so well cleared that they will soon be ready to start emptying the Haukeli tunnel of cars. – It is these cars that remain now. After that, he hopes it will be possible to open for convoy driving during the night. – We may be able to drive in convoy at 2-3 o’clock if the weather improves.
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Haukelifjell was “closed” for five hours before the Road Administration closed the road – news Vestland
