The matter in summary: • Road company Nye Vegar plans to build a four-lane motorway on the entire stretch between Oslo and Kristiansand, despite the government’s wish for narrower roads to save nature and the environment.• The Progress Party supports Nye Vegar’s plans and believes it is important to build one ” decent road” between Oslo and Kristiansand.• SV, on the other hand, believes that Nye Vegar should build narrower roads where possible, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve topsoil and vulnerable nature.• Nye Vegar believes that four lanes is the right and long-term solution for E18 between Langangen and Grimstad, and has never considered two or three fields as a solution. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In September last year, the government changed the so-called road standard. The desire was clear; Vegans must build narrower to save nature and the environment – and get more for their money. But Vegselskapet Nye Vegar was not swayed by the government’s signals. They want to give tired drivers what they want most. Queues in new places The queues on the E18 have moved. On the main road between Oslo and Kristiansand, the queue used to be tight through Bamble in Telemark. There, traffic now flows on a new four-lane motorway. Motorists now sit and wait with their cars idling where there are two lanes through Porsgrunn. This summer there have also been queues at times from Brokeland Heia and further north. During rush hour, there are often long queues at Langangen in Porsgrunn. Photo: Tips In the queues, motorists dream of driving without traffic jams between Oslo and Kristiansand. – Looking forward, not backwards Nye vegar will nevertheless build a four-lane motorway on the entire E18 between Langangen and Grimstad. – I think it’s fantastically good. This means that Nye Vegar looks forward, and not backwards, says Bård Hoksrud from the Progress Party. The government has given permission for parts of the stretch from Kragerø to Tvedestrand to be built with a two- or three-lane road, because less than 15,000 cars pass there a day. Transport policy spokesperson for SV Mona Fagerås says that Nye Vegar should be instructed to build narrower E18 where possible. Mona Fagerås, member of the transport and communications committee at the Storting for SV. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news She says that SV was satisfied that the government changed the road standards in that direction, and thinks that it is normal for the road company to adhere to the new road standards. – We must bear in mind that the transport sector accounts for around 30 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Norway, and these must be reduced. Then we have to build the future, so that it becomes easier to be a collective and a path. She believes that by building a four-lane, it will be easier to choose a private car as a means of transport. – We know that it leads to greenhouse gas emissions and degradation of topsoil and vulnerable nature. A proper road Hoksrud, for his part, believes it is about building a proper road between Oslo and Kristiansand. Then it must be done properly the whole way, he believes and is afraid that traffic growth will not be taken into account in future planning. – I hope we will build the road once. Not like we have done now. Bård Hoksrud, parliamentary representative for FRP in Telemark. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news In 1996, the Grenlandsbrua was opened on the E18 with two lanes. The Swedish Road Administration thought it would last for many years. – Wider roads destroy more nature, but we have enough nature, don’t we? – What we see now is that we build stupidly and badly, so we have to use more land. If you had done it right away, you would have used much less area. It would be much more efficient and we would have had a road that would have cost much less and would have taken much less natural intervention, says Hoksrud. – There was never an alternative. No one in Nye Vegar could be interviewed by news about this matter during the summer holidays. In an e-mail to news, they write that four lanes are the right and long-term solution for the E18 between Langangen and Grimstad. – In our planning and analysis, there has never been any other alternative than four lanes for this important road through southern parts of Norway, writes Geir Gjervan, communications consultant at Nye Vegar. – We have never talked about two or three lanes as a solution for E18. It is many years until we can start construction on parts of the E18, but when we start construction it will be with four lanes, he adds. Published 06.08.2024, at 06.38
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Nye Vegar will build a four-lane motorway between Telemark and Agder – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
