On Monday, the queues begin at the Nordbytunnel

Nordbytunnelen.Photo: NTB scanpix / Junge, Heiko

On Monday it is again queueing time for the commuters south of Oslo.

 

The Nordbytunnel is to have new upgrades, and there will be a queue warned ‘Vegvesenet’.

This weekend the final preparations are being made, and from Monday at 05.00 there will be major changes in the driving pattern.People need to calculate extra travel time,” stated the Road Administration.

The driving pattern will follow the same system as at the closure last year,where rush traffic in and out of Oslo is led into the open tunnel, while reverse traffic is conducted on county road 156 at Nesset. This is where the queue usually occurs, past Vinterbrosenteret.

“The closure period this year is three weeks shorter than last year, ten weeks, compared to thirteen last year” said section head for tunnel rehabilitation in Akershus, Marita Birkedal.

“Nevertheless, this will be a significant strain on the road network,not least in Ås municipality, and we especially encourage travellers traveling during the rush hour to assess whether they can travel collectively, or see if they can travel at another time.

As if that were not enough, along the way during the construction period,the NATO exercise ,Trident Juncture,will start.40,000 soldiers and 20,000 vehicles will be transported to and from the exercise, between Borg Harbour in Fredrikstad and Central Norway.

‘’This will be an additional burden on top of a pressured situation. Unfortunately,there is no way to avoid it as this comes at the same time. The tunnel must be upgraded, and the exercise is important for Norway,’’ said Birkedal.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, together with the police, emergency services, the Armed Forces, the transport industry and the local community, have prepared their own emergency routines for this period, and patrol cars will continuously run through the tunnel.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today