It is in its alternative state budget that SV proposes to cut the Stad ship tunnel. The ship tunnel, worth close to NOK 3 billion (without VAT), is included in the government’s submission to the state budget, something that caused jubilation along the coast. Construction is expected to start early in 2024. Since 1990, the ship tunnel has gone through over 20 different assessments. Now SV wants to take the tunnel out of the national budget in the negotiations at the Storting. They point to the tight economic situation. – We will not prioritize it this year, we don’t have room for the Stad ship tunnel, says Mona Fagerås, who is SV’s transport policy spokesperson. It will take 5 years to build the 2.2 kilometer long tunnel, which will be 50 meters high and 36 meters wide. Photo: Illustration / Kystverket/Snøhetta/Plomp Would rather invest in a motorway and track around Bergen The tunnel will ensure that ship traffic avoids the Stadhavet, which according to the Coastal Agency is the most weather-exposed and dangerous stretch of sea along the Norwegian coast. Critics have claimed that many ships will stop using the tunnel, and that it is not economically viable. SV would rather focus on the E16 Arna-Voss with motorway and new railway, the Bybanen in Bergen and the Røldalstunnel in Hardanger. The government has not found money for these three projects in its submission to the national budget. – Transport projects in Vestland are pitted against each other, I was afraid that we would have to cut the Stad ship tunnel, because the government has not prioritized the other projects, says Hege Lothe, who is the county manager of Vestland SV. SV has previously promised the Stad ship tunnel in its party programme. Lothe says they stand by the promise, but that the tunnel is lower on the priority list. – Why are roads and tracks around a big city more important than safe transport at sea? – The road to Voss from Bergen has been subject to many landslides, and landslide protection is important. There will be a trade-off, and E16 is most important to set high, says Lothe. One of the arguments for Stad skipstunnel was that a fast ferry connection could be established between Bergen and Ålesund. But according to Sunnmørsposten, the county administration in Møre og Romsdal is now rejecting such a solution because they think it will be too expensive. The light rail to Åsane in Bergen will cost NOK 17 billion. The government will postpone negotiations on partial financing until 2024. Photo: Bergen municipality – A clear breach of promise Leader of Stad Høgre, Magne Fure, hopes the government party will stick to its budget proposal when it comes to the ship tunnel. – We put our trust in Ap and Sp so that the project can proceed without an unnecessary and costly break. – This is an open breach of promise by SV, says leader of the transport committee in the Storting Erling Sande (Sp). Sande promises to fight to keep the license when SV and the government party negotiate the state budget. – SV talks loudly about getting more freight traffic from vegans to keel, and that they want greener shipping, then it is strange that they prioritize the ship tunnel, which is an important measure to reach their goals. A postponement will mean an interruption in the planning of the tunnel. – I hope and assume that SV will not be successful in its demand. He also disagrees that SV believes they must re-prioritize within Vestland county. – This is a state budget. SV supports, for example, the government’s plans for two large airport projects in Nordland. So it’s a strange excuse for deprioritizing. City ship tunnel Illustration: KYSTVERKET/SNØHETTA Will be the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel. Stadhavet is the most weather-exposed and most dangerous stretch of sea along the Norwegian coast. The aim of the project is to ensure safer sailing past Stad. The tunnel will be 1.7 km long – 2,200 meters from the tip of the change structures. The height between the roof and the bottom is 50 metres. The width between the walls in the tunnel is 36 metres. The tunnel will secure ship traffic over the weather-exposed Stadhavet. Boats the size of Hurtigruta are the largest that can pass through the tunnel. Construction time 5 years. Cost approx. NOK 2.8 billion excluding value added tax. It will probably take 5 years to build the tunnel Source: Kystverket
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SV will stop Stad ship tunnel – news Vestland
