Norway reduces speed limits to cut fatalities

Raising the motorway speed limit in Norway to 120kph could mean four deaths annually, according to research by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen). It could also cost up to €504 million to build or upgrade 460km of motorways to withstand the wear and tear caused by having a 120kph limit. State Secretary Tommy Skjervold said that the government will analyse the research before making a final decision about raising or not the speed limit on some motorways. Norway has some of

Statens Vegvesen, the Norwegian Road Administration, has cancelled tender plans for a new Sotra fixed link project that were scheduled for the spring. Jon Georg Dale, minister of transport, recently told the Norwegian Parliament that the geology near Lake Storavatnet along the route of the project, of which the second bridge would be a part, has caused concern among planners. Also, reconstruction of a high-voltage power cable has come under questions. Helge Eidsnes, a regional manager of Statens Vegve

Norway could be home to the world’s longest wooden bridge if the government gives the go-ahead for a span across Lake Mjosa. In a new report, researchers conclude that it is possible, both technically and economically, to build a 1.7km wooden bridge between the towns Biri and Moelv. Importantly, the report notes that construction cost differences between a wooden and concrete structure would be little. Estimates for a wooden bridge are around €420 million while for a concrete structure would come in about €