The residents of Rissa in Sør-Trøndelag were celebrating over the weekend that they finally got 5.5 kilometers of road paved with asphalt, thanks to the generosity of a “rich uncle” from America.
Newspaper Adresseavisen reported that Norwegian-American Kristian P Berg, age 91, donated the equivalent of NOK 2.5 million (USD 300,000) to help pave the road after complaining about its poor condition during a visit. Berg lives in Seattle but is originally from Rissa and reportedly got angry that its main road was in such poor condition.
“So I thought that if the public sector can’t afford to pay, I’ll contribute,” Berg told Adresseavisen. Both the county and municipality also helped pick up the bill but vice-mayor Liv Darell of the Center Party admitted the road probably wouldn’t have been paved for another 20 years if Berg hadn’t pushed the project through. She said she thought if was “just fantastic” that “a man from America comes here and donates such a sum.”
The newly paved road opened over the weekend, with ribbon-cutting ceremonies and a convoy of American cars. The new road will be called Kristian P Bergs vei.
newsinenglish.no staff
