Tunnelling has started for the 9.7km Fiske Fiord Tunnel that is part of the E10/rv 85 project in Troms and Nordland in Norway’s far north.
The public-private partnership project E10/rv 85 runs from Tjeldsund through to Gullesfjordbotn and ends at Langvassbukt. The development will increase traffic safety and improve accessibility between Harstad, Evenes, Lødingen and Sortland, according to a statement by the client, Norwegian Public Roads Administration - Statens Vegvesen.
Hålogalandsvegen, a special financing vehicle of the main contractor Skanska, is responsible for designing, financing and building the road system and maintain it for 15 years after completion. In all, construction includes 82km of road, of which 27km are in seven tunnels with the Fiske Fiord Tunnel is the longest.
Cost of the entire project is around US$1.04 billion, according to a press release by Skanska.
There will also be 22 bridges. Around 35km of road will be built along the alignment of an existing road while 20km will be completed along a new alignment. Construction is expected to take around five and a half years, for completion in late 2028.
Skanska and its subcontractors began work a couple of weeks earlier than planned, said Tom Eriksen, project manager with Statens Vegvesen. Skanska's subcontractor, Hæhre, began the blasting programme at the end of the tunnel in Kanstadbotn, in Lødingen municipality.
The earlier-than-planned start bodes well for the project going forward, noted Are Eliassen, project director at Skanska. Meanwhile, Skanska will begin blasting from the opposite end of the planned tunnel within a few days.
“We have worked closely and well with Skanska so far on the project and look forward to continued good cooperation,” said Jostein Nordstrøm, project director at Hæhre Entreprenør.
