A man in his 80s drove in the wrong direction on Monday morning in the new Lyshorn tunnel between Os and Bergen. He drove four kilometers the wrong way before turning inside the tunnel, which has a speed limit of 100 km/h. – Fortunately, it went well, but I saw on camera that he encountered oncoming traffic. There could have been a stampede if they didn’t have a doctor in the other field, says traffic operator Marius Næss at the Road Traffic Centre. The alarm about the wrong driving went off after just a couple of seconds, and the tunnel was closed as it should be. The car was stopped by the police on the outside of the tunnel on the Os side. The case is now being investigated. Second time in a short time This is the second time people have driven in the wrong direction since the tunnel opened a week ago, according to the Swedish Traffic Agency. – There was one case last week as well, says Næss, who does not know the details of that incident. Project manager Kelly Nesheim Iversen in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration knows that there have been a number of cases of wrong-way driving in the tunnel, where motorists have discovered that they are on the wrong way on the ramps. Kelly Nesheim Iversen outside the Skogafjell tunnel on the new E39 between Os and Bergen. Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news She says they will carefully review the wrong-way driving on Monday. – This incident makes me sorry. This is what I have said I am afraid will happen. Nevertheless, it is guaranteed that the technical equipment in the tunnel works. Traffic was diverted to the right lane, and the tunnel was closed with a barrier from Rådal. – Is there a risk of it happening again? – There is a risk of it happening again. Road users are very different, and not everyone has experience of driving on the motorway. You must not turn onto a motorway. You must follow the arrows that are in the way and be concentrated. It can be easy to panic in such a situation, says Iversen. If you drive in the wrong direction or see others doing so, drive into an emergency pocket in the tunnel, where there are telephones to the traffic centre, says Iversen. Dødsulukka is due to driving in the wrong direction Dødsulukka in the Opera Tunnel this weekend is due to driving in the wrong direction on a motorway, inside a tunnel. – The incident on E39 is not isolated, says Iversen. The incident on the new road between Bergen and Os is now being followed up. Iversen says they have already been to a meeting with the Road Traffic Centre. – I have seen on video what actually happened. We have called in another meeting tomorrow with our contractor. So I am following this event quite closely. We want to find out if something is due to the road construction or something we could have done better, says Iversen. The project has now been handed over to the operation and maintenance unit in the Swedish Road Administration. – But I will still keep an eye on it for the first few weeks, says Iversen.
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– The potential for damage is great – news Vestland
