After the Tretten bridge collapsed on 15 August, the weekday has been challenging for residents and businesses in Tretten. Gudbrandsdalslågen divides the local community in two. The county committee in Innlandet County Municipality decided today to continue working with the plans for both an intermediate bridge and a permanent bridge. This must happen “as soon as possible”. But who will foot the bill is still unclear. DEMOLITION: This is what Tretten looks like over a month after the bridge collapsed and divided the village in two. Demolition is underway, and the politicians want a new bridge for the residents as quickly as possible. – It’s not our fault that the bridge fell Those who live on the west side of Gudbrandsdalslågen now have an around 22 kilometer long detour. Ingeborg Frøyse’s daughter Moe started school in the autumn and the bridge collapsed on the first day. She and Nina Bjørnesset are afraid every morning when they drop off their children on the school bus, which drives on a narrow bypass road. EXPENSIVE AND HEAVY: Mothers Ingeborg Frøyse Moe and Nina Bjørnesset feel they have become isolated from the rest of the village. Bjørnesset says her family now spends over NOK 2,000 a month on fuel per car because of the bypass. Photo: Arne Sørenes / news Those who live on the west side have become more isolated from the rest of the village. And the encouragement to the two mothers on the west side was ready before the meeting in the county council. – It is not our fault that the bridge fell down. So they have to find money, says Nina Bjørnesset. – Then they get to argue about who will pick up the bill afterwards, but we have to have a bridge. Else, the whole of Tretten as built simply fell into ruins, says Ingeborg Frøyse Moe. Frøyse Moe is very relieved that the politicians in the county will now work further to find solutions. – I am very relieved and happy to finally know that something is going to happen. It is reassuring to know that they are working as hard as they can before winter so that we can send our children safely to school. DIVERSION ROAD: Those who live on the west side of Tretten must now take this road to get to the city centre. Trailers, school buses and cars drive here. The residents hope they will let it go when winter comes. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news – We tolerate this badly Mayor of Øyer municipality, Jon Halvor Midtmageli (Sp) is also happy with the decision. He receives questions from his residents every day. – We tolerate this very badly. It is the main nerve in the center. Because every day we are without a bridge, the worse it actually gets, says Midtmageli. CONSEQUENCES: According to the mayor, Jon Halvor Midtmageli, there are now around 20 trailers a day that have to drive on the narrow bypass road. He also says that the shops on the east side of the river have lost up to 50 per cent of their turnover after the bridge collapse. Photo: Arne Sørenes / news He thinks it is urgent to get an intermediate solution because the diversion route is long, narrow and tortuous. – It should and must be in place before winter comes, as the traffic is on vegan roads today. Impatience is very great. Expect help from the state Clean-up work and setting up the two bridges will probably cost around 300 million in total, according to the county council’s calculations. 35–50 million to clean up the remains of the bridge that are still in Lågen. 50 million for an intermediate bridge 200 million for a new permanent bridge. This price tag is very uncertain. And county mayor Even Alexander Hagen will not foot the bill for all this alone. – Our expectation is clear. Here, the state must help pay otherwise there will be dramatic consequences for other measures on the county road network in the interior, says Hagen. IMPORTANT: County mayor Even Aleksander Hagen says it is important to get a bridge in place for the local community as well. He says one must both take care of the traffic and tie together Tretten east and west. Photo: Arne Sørenes / news The bridge belongs to the county council and the Ministry of Transport has previously said that they have to pay for this themselves. After the meeting of the county committee this afternoon, news has sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Transport asking whether it is now appropriate to contribute. We have not managed to get an answer yet, the county council has had meetings with the ministry about this funding. And on Monday 26 September they have another meeting to discuss this. Hagen does not want to admit that they need help from the state. He expects that there will be budget money for this in 2023. – There is both a history that says that the state has ownership and it is an extraordinary situation, he says. Will get started quickly The county council director in Innlandet, Tron Bamrud, today presented the proposal for progress in this case. He is happy to have the politicians in the county behind him. He hopes that the solutions can be put in place quickly. Preferably before Christmas. – But we dare not promise anything because there are so many factors. We must ensure that we build bridges that are completely safe, he says. In addition to the funding for this, they still need some permits to start the work. Among other things, with the State Administrator in the Interior and the Swedish Road Administration. – It’s not really “rocket science”, but it has to be done right. MAJOR CONSEQUENCES: Tron Bamrud has put forward the proposal for progress in the case. He says they must take care of the natural area, which is worthy of protection. The collapse of the bridge at Tretten has led to enormous consequences for the environment, economy and traffic. Photo: Innlandet County Municipality
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Samrøyste’s county committee in Innlandet decided to work for the intermediate belt bridge at Tretten – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
