In summary, the Swedish Road Administration has used a new method to improve the E16 through Valdres, known as the “Valdres model”. With a budget of NOK 500 million, they have focused on doing the most possible with the least possible money, by using the existing road where possible. The result is a road that is “good enough”, that is wider, has fewer bends, better visibility and where dangerous sections are safe. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård and the National Road Administration plan to use this method in several places in the country. The model has also been highly praised by the Nature Conservation Association for taking care of existing roads and nature. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Today we are not cutting the cord for the opening of a new road. We mark the completion of a new road that is as good as new. This is what we need more of. That’s what Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) said when he was finally able to cut the cord after several years of work and improvement of the E16 through Valdres. But the road he officially opened this time was not new. It was as good as new. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) wants more of such road openings, where a new road has not been built, but the existing one has been improved. PHOTO: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news – Here we have repurposed the existing road and spared nature from intervention at the same time as we have received more of the money and a safe and good road, says Nygård. E16 is one of the main roads between Oslo and Bergen, and the main artery through Valdres. The road is the stretch between east and west that is most open in winter. Most possible for least possible The Swedish Road Administration received NOK 500 million to fix about 45 kilometers of the European road between Fagernes and Øylo in Valdres. But NOK 500 million is not a lot when it comes to road construction. In comparison, the cycle route between Stavanger and Sandnes costs up to four times as much, while just the planning of the new E6 past Lillehammer was twice as expensive. Therefore, they had to think anew in Valdres. How could they build the most safe and beautiful road possible, for the least possible money? The solution, the Valdres model, should prove to be good for the wallet, but also for nature. Now the E16 through Valdres is open after several years of improvement. Although the road has now been improved, one of the feedbacks from, among others, the mayor of Vestre Slidre, is that he would have had more focus on the soft road users. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news “Good enough” Because in Valdres there was no need to build a four-lane motorway or have a speed limit of 110 kilometers per hour. The road should only be “good enough”. – We would like to have much more, but we can manage with much less. It’s about what is good enough, says Cato Løkken, director of the Norwegian Road Administration. This is the “Valdres model”. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration selected E16 Fagernes-Øylo in Valdres as a pilot project for the development of a new concept where the improvement of the existing road should give the most value for money. The concept goes by the name “Valdresmodellen” and has four main steps: Early involvement of the contractor The Swedish Road Administration involved the contractor, in this case Brødrene Dokken AS, throughout the entire project, from the zoning plan phase to the completed project. This is common in the construction industry, but new in road construction. Maximum utilization of the existing road Where possible, we want to continue to use the existing road. Therefore, the condition of the road was thoroughly assessed to see what they could use up and reinforce, and what had to be built completely anew. Prioritizes measures that increase traffic safety and improve access over long distances. They received NOK 500 million to upgrade the road. It may sound like a lot, but in this context it is not. This means that measures must be prioritized that provide the same standard over as long stretches as possible in order to improve safety. Builds “satisfactory standard” This standard means that measures are assessed and dimensioned according to the function and the amount of traffic on the road. You do not necessarily need to build according to the full road standard, which is often common when building a new road. Source: Statens vegvesen / news Good enough in Valdres was, among other things, a wider road, that bends were straightened, better visibility and that dangerous sections were secured. – It’s about taking care of what we have, and developing it, says Løkken. Cato Løkken is department director for operation and maintenance East in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Now the Norwegian Road Administration and the Minister for Transport will use this method more often. – We will take the experiences from Valdres with us in the development of national roads in several places in the country, says road director Ingrid Dahl Hovland. – We have to take care of what we have, improve where we can and build new when we have to. It is also about the fact that we cannot continue to destroy nature, says Nygård. – We also have to take more care when we build roads. When the new NTP comes in the spring, it will show that we have to take tougher measures and prioritize harder. Rosar praises the project One of the main measures in the Valdres model was to use the old or existing road, where possible, rather than building a new one. According to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, 75 percent of the road is used about This causes the deputy head of the Nature Conservation Association, Pernille Bonnevie Hansen, to praise the road project in Valdres. – It is absolutely fabulous that the National Roads Administration now embraces that old roads can be made as new, and that they take care of the vegans we have, she says. Deputy head of the Nature Conservancy, Pernille Bonnevie Hansen. Photo: Naturvernforbundet Hansen believes that developments in transport and road construction in recent years have gone in the wrong direction. She believes the focus should be on developing the infrastructure so that the level of transport in Norway can be lowered. – If the Swedish Road Administration can send the Valdres model to the coast between Bergen and Stavanger, or north to Trøndelag where we are now losing enormous amounts of topsoil, that would be good, says Hansen.
ttn-69
Wants the Valdres model to be a model in the construction industry – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
