On Thursday, the news came that the Trollstigen will be closed for the rest of the year, due to too great a risk of landslides. County road manager in Møre and Romsdal, Ole Jan Tønnesen, says they are working night and day to find out what immediate measures they can take to secure the tourist road. – We may need around NOK 50 million. Then we can start up quite quickly to do something that actually helps. Ole Jan Tønnesen at the gate that closes the road. Photo: Tore Ellingseter / news Wants the state to pay Leader of the FRP, Sylvi Listhaug, believes that it is the state that should pick up the bill for the safety of the Trollstigen, because it is a national tourist road. – If there is money involved, it shouldn’t stop a quick opening, she says. Voted down Today, the Storting considered Listhaug’s proposal that the government together with the county council should try to find a financial solution. But the proposal was voted down when the Labor Party, the Center Party and the Socialist Left Party said no. They mean that the county council must solve this itself. – The state has revealed a responsibility, but refuses to take it, says Frank Sve. Photo: William Jobling / news – It is tragic for Møre and Romsdal and for the business world, which is now being brutally hit. What is happening there, it is almost unimaginable, says Frank Sve, who is very critical of the majority not supporting the proposal. – Don’t have the money. In the Ministry of Transport, they believe that it is right that the county council must pick up the bill. – The closure of Trollstigen is a dramatic measure, but I have confidence that the county council will take the measures necessary to safeguard safety. Basically, Trollstigen is a county road and it is the county council that is responsible, says State Secretary Tom Kalsås in the Ministry of Transport. Sve, who is group leader for Frp at the county council, will call for an extraordinary county council. – The county council doesn’t have money, but it’s just a matter of trying to find a solution anyway. Time-consuming work The big question is how much money will come. According to the county road manager, the work on the rest measures will take about 4 months. Only after this has been done can professionals assess their effect. Thus, it is not easy to say when the road can be opened again. – When we can open again, it’s about when we can do something in the mountains. When we get started, and when we can finish, says Tønnesen. In addition to these immediate measures, the professionals are working to put in place more long-term solutions for how to secure the Trollstigen. Trollstigen has been affected by landslides for many years. In 2018, a new report established that the road was more dangerous than they had thought. The following year, the county council considered introducing a tourist tax to finance breed protection. Have received cancellations On both sides of the Trollstigen there are several businesses that take advantage of the tourists who will see the winding road. They will lose many of their visitors when the road is now closed. – Several of our member companies, on both sides of the mountain, have received cancellations, says Tom Anker Skrede, daily tenant for Destination Ålesund and Sunnmøre. – It sounds so small, but it is actually very serious for us. That’s what Tom Anker Skrede, operations manager says Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news They have had hectic meeting business since the news of the closure came yesterday. What is important for tourism in the future is to communicate that it is still possible to visit. – We must work to get the information out that it is still possible to do many exciting activities in the region. And that it is still open out on the plateau to Trollstigen, he points out. This plateau to Trollstigen is still open to tourists. Photo: Per Kollstad / Norwegian Public Roads Administration Published 21.06.2024, at 16.47 Updated 21.06.2024, at 16.57
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Trollstigen: Need 50 million to implement immediate measures
