On Friday it became known: Several serious mistakes and misjudgments were made which led to the utility collapse at Tretten. – We have made mistakes. It should not happen again, says road director Ingrid Dahl Hovland. Thomas Breen, county mayor in Innlandet county municipality, is clear about what he thinks about the money issue in the case. – If the state does not pay, I will take legal action and sue the state, says Breen. He believes that it is now so clear who is responsible for the collapse that the county council will not pay a single kroner. – I think that now the responsibility is so clear where it belongs. Then it also comes with a financial responsibility. We must have compensated all our costs in full. – I hope the government clears the whole road, so that the financial side is also sorted out, says Breen. Photo: Roar Andre Berntsen / news Knew about weaknesses – It’s a scandal. There is no other term to use, says Breen about the collapse. Tretten bridge was of the same type as the Perkolo bridge at Sjoa which collapsed in 2016. Following the bridge collapse in 2016, Tretten bridge was thoroughly investigated. Large excesses were then found on the bridge. The Swedish Road Administration was recommended to strengthen the construction in several places. They didn’t. In the report that PwC presented on Friday, they were critical of the Norwegian Road Administration’s follow-up after the collapse in 2016. The Accident Investigation Board has also directed criticism at this very point. – No one took responsibility for clarifying what the risk meant, the report states. Uncertain who will pay The Norwegian Road Administration built the bridge, but Innlandet county council has owned and maintained the bridge since 2020. It is estimated that the bridge collapse will cost at least 300 million. But who will foot the bill is uncertain. – We got the bridge from the state, while responsibility for the design and why what has happened is the state’s. Then they have to take that responsibility, and I think PwC states that in their report, says the county mayor. – We have to clean up in a grown-up way so that it doesn’t happen again, and that the costs are placed where they belong, says Breen. The Norwegian Road Administration says that they take the legal responsibility, but when it comes to the financial side, road director Hovland answers this: – We refer to the ministry which has the conversations and direct follow-up with the county council in the interior, says Hovland. – Good report – It is a very good report, says Aud Riseng, head of transport in Innlandet County Municipality. She is happy that the Norwegian Road Administration is taking the matter very seriously, and says that it is now expected that the Norwegian Road Administration and the Road Directorate follow up on the points they believe they should improve. – And we look forward to that. It is very important. Aud Riseng is transport manager in Innlandet County Municipality. She expects the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to learn from the collapse. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Riseng says we must not forget that lives could have been lost during the bridge collapse. – The collapse of Tretten bru was a very serious incident. It could have been a disaster. It was only luck that no lives were lost. It is important that the bridges are safe, she says. The bridge collapse at Tretten Tretten bridge was a bridge on county road 254 in Innlandet. It went over Gudbrandsdalslågen and the E6 at Tretten in Øyer municipality. The bridge had only been in operation for ten years and two months when it suddenly collapsed on 15 August 2022. A truck and a car were on the bridge when it happened, but no one was physically injured. The collapse is estimated to cost at least NOK 300 million. The Accident Investigation Board concluded that the collapse probably occurred due to poor capacity on the diagonals. A number of other truss bridges made of the same material were closed after the collapse. Major weaknesses were found on Tretten bridge in 2016. An intermediate belt bridge was opened on 30 June 2023. A permanent solution is being worked on.
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Now Innlandet county council demands that the state pay the bill for the utility collapse at Tretten – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
