Norway’s conservative government coalition failed to select one main route for improvement over the mountains between Oslo and Bergen this week, opting instead to invest in three transport corridors that aim to separate tourist traffic from commercial trucking.
State Highway 7 over Hardangervidda will now be developed as the main connection between Western and Eastern Norway for private vehicular traffic, with an emphasis on tourism and protecting the wild reindeer that can cross the road.
State Highway 52 over Hemsedalsfjellet will the developed as the main route for commercial trucking, with an aim to divert it from community centers and improve speed and reliability that the road will stay open in winter.
The E16 highway selected by an earlier Labour Party-government as the main transport route is most reliable in winter, with all its tunnels, but it also involves the longest distance between Oslo and Bergen. It will nonetheless be further develped as an important reserve route when other roads may be closed, as many have been lately.
newsinenglish.no staff
