Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) lowers expectations for major transport developments in the state budget for 2023. – It goes without saying that we who have large budgets must contribute heavily. So it will be disappointing, he says to TV 2. He did not want to specify what kind of developments are being put on hold. But budget partners SV will. At the weekend, the party’s transport policy spokesperson, Mona Fagerås, urged the government to “turn the funds away from expensive, land-demanding and climate-hostile motorways”. In order to “help the government on the road”, he drew up a list of nine motorway projects (see fact box) that should be scrapped, including the “hair-raising project” Hordfast. These projects will SW togge Hordfast E18 between Ramstadsletta–Nesbru – Drengsrud New E16/E39 Fjøsanger–Arna – Vågsbotn – Klauvaneset E134 Gvammen–Vågsli New E39 Ålgård – Hove E6 between Moelv and Øyer over the Lågendeltaet nature reserve New E18/E39 Outer ring road Kristiansand E39 Smiene – Harestad Upgrade of the Hammersborg tunnel This project will be scaled down SW: New E6 Nedgård–Ulsberg–Berkåk – Vindåsliene scaled down to 2/3-lane road and 90 km/h New E134 Saggrenda–Elgsjø scaled down to 2/3-lane road for 90 km/h New E39 Mandal – Lyngdal east New E39 Lyngdal west – Ålgård New E16 between Kløfta and Kongsvinger New national road 4 Hunndalen–Mjøsbrua New E18 Grimstad–Arendal New E6 Kroporalsbrua – Gyllan–Kvål New E6 Åsen–Steinkjer national road 4 Oslo – Gjøvik New national highway 25 between Hamar and Løten New E18 Tvedestrand–Bamble to 2/3-lane road Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) lowers expectations for major transport developments in the state budget for 2023. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – Very worried signal – I react strongly to SV’s list, says Kjell Ingolf Ropstad (KrF). He points out that SV will cut the motorway between Mandal and Lyngdal. – This is one of the most common ways of death. Then it is very worrying that this figure is on a cut list when the budget is drawn up. The cut list is, in return, positively received by MDG, Raudt and the Nature Conservancy (see below). – We are very happy about the signal to the government Lan Marie Berg, MDG – It is good that the government is clear that we must look critically at the use of money in the planned transport projects. Here, the MDG has many good proposals for cuts that we hope Nygård and the Government will take on board. The ferry-free E39 will cost over 300 billion and destroy huge natural areas, the E18 west corridor will cost at least 60 billion, and the E6 through the Lågen Delta will destroy a nature reserve exclusively so that people will be allowed to drive at 110 km/h. The list of these projects is long. This is expensive, hostile to nature and completely unnecessary. The major task for the government now is to reduce the pressure in the Norwegian economy, which leads to increasing interest rates and expensive times. Now the government has a golden opportunity to scrap the anti-nature road projects initiated by the Frp and Høgre once and for all, and at the same time reduce the pressure on the Norwegian economy. Sofie Marhaug, Raudt – We expect the government to start cutting oversized motorway projects already now. Both what will be built for next year and what will be planned further in time. The planning of the unnecessary “Hordfast” project costs the state alone NOK 798 million before the spade is stuck in the ground. Raudt wants to turn the priorities on their head. We must start with railways and large public transport projects in the cities. We also have to spend enough money on improving and breeding the vegans we already have throughout the country. Truls Gulowsen, leader of the Nature Conservation Association – We are very happy about the signal to the government about significant cuts in motorway construction. Here, many billions can be saved already this year, and hundreds of billions during the period, while at the same time we can get a boost for necessary maintenance. At the same time, it is important that strictures are also made towards Nye vegar, even though the Solberg government gave this state-owned road company its own “food package” for road construction. It is not just the National Roads Administration that must be cut, and necessary maintenance must be shielded. Hordfast, E39 in Sørlandet, 110 above Ringerike and E6 Lågendeltaet are obvious cut candidates, together with the E18 west corridor. SV recently celebrated a “big transport victory” when, in the negotiations on the revised state budget, they got the Labor Party and the Center Party to agree on an agreement on motorway slimming. To BT, SV’s environmental policy spokesman, Lars Haltbrekken, stated that the next step in the “fight against motorway mania” was to scrap Hordfast. E39: Nye Veier is building a four-lane motorway between Kristiansand and Stavanger. Here they are working on a section between Kristiansand and Mandal. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB “Shabby waters”, high inflation and interest rate hikes The latest signals from the Minister of Transport are in line with the “August speech” to Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp), where he, with reference to “shaky waters”, high inflation and interest rate hike heralded tough priorities in the national budget. – The budget work has changed enormously from January and February to now. I think it has never changed so much for a government before, he said. The proposal for the national budget for 2023 will be presented to the Storting on Thursday 6 October. – If the government now postpones or cancels important projects in Vestland, many voters will feel cheated, says county manager in Vestland Høgre, Silja Ekeland Bjørkly. She adds: – During the election campaign, the governing party guaranteed projects such as Hordfast, Ringveg Aust, Strynefjellstunnel and Stad Skipstunnel. I therefore expect them to deliver on these promises. The latest signals from the Minister of Transport are in line with the “August lecture” to Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp). Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Oslo’s arrogance of the worst city Skipstunnel is estimated to cost NOK 3 billion, but the project does not start construction until 2024. Earlier in September, Aftenposten advocated scrapping the tunnel, citing that it was ” a good idea” with old answers such as “not easy to defend socially economically”. – Oslo arrogance of the worst kind, acknowledged the Storting representatives Alfred Bjørlo (V) and Erling Sande (Sp). – We see that the government wants to reduce expectations, but neither we nor the Coastal Administration have received a signal that the ship tunnel project is not going as planned, says project manager for the tunnel, Randi Humborstad. – The need for Stad ship tunnel is great Randi Humborstad, daily head of Måløy growth – The need for Stad ship tunnel is great. A survey among Kystederiene’s members shows that a full 80 per cent will use the tunnel on a regular basis. – Stad ship tunnel will reduce the waiting time for shipping and open a new connected transport corridor along the coast. On the coast, the fast boats are our railway, and in Vestland there is a big investment in emission-free fast boats. Stad skipstunnel is, in short, an investment in what Norway will live off of in the future. Stad Skipstunnel is estimated to cost NOK 3 billion. – We have not received a signal that the ship tunnel project is not going as planned, says project manager for the tunnel, Randi Humborstad. Photo: Kystverket/Snøhetta Less for roads, railways and public buildings Øyvind Halleraker is the day-to-day manager of the “driving company” Hordfast AS, which works for the ferry-free E39. He tells news that he slept well at night and that he takes the cut signal from the government in stride all the while Hordfast is among the “most profitable projects in the whole country”. He refers to the “traffic light overview” that the National Road Administration presented this summer (see picture), where Hordfast is number eight on the list of prioritized projects. For the first time, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has drawn up a recommended sequence of major road projects commissioned by the government. Photo: Håvard Nyhus When asked where they should spend less money, the government has all but mentioned roads, railways and public buildings. The FRP’s transport policy spokesperson, Frank Sve, tells news that he does not accept the premise that cuts in the road sector are necessary. – Here the transport and construction industry is being sacrificed without a good enough foundation.
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The government says people will be disappointed by the road investment – news Vestland
