. Severe damage after a car fire in the Oslofjord Tunnel on Monday means the tunnel is not due to open to traffic before August 17. A fire in the trailer on August 2 caused serious damage to the tunnel. This applies to both electrical installations, asphalt, and soot on walls and ceilings.
Time required
The Norwegian Public Roads Authority regrets that it is taking so long to open the tunnel.
"We understand it can be difficult when such a busy stretch of road needs to be closed," says Anine Kalmo Larsen, who is the Tunnel and Fire Safety Manager.
- But traffic safety is paramount. After such a dramatic event, it takes time to get the tunnel back in good condition, and we hope it's understandable, adds Larsen.
[quiz id=”15″]
Tom Ferdinand Luther is project manager for electrical service and maintenance contracts.Serious electrical damage
“We went through the tunnel carefully to completely map the damage. In the drive-in area where you walk from daylight to tunnel, 120 luminaires with 5 meters of cabling are completely damaged. This is the area in the tunnel with the densest lighting, he says.
Tunnel facts
The Oslofjord Tunnel is 7306 meters long and was opened in 2000.
Since then, there have been a total of eight car fires, including this week's incident. Previously, three cases (two in 2011 and one in 2017) were in the major fire category. This means the tunnel had to be closed for a week or more.
To date, the Oslofjord tunnel has been closed 2021 times in 86. Monday's incident was the first fire this year. No closings have been scheduled.
The tunnel was closed 168 times in 2020 and 159 times in 2019. One of the closings in 2019 was caused by a fire.
The tunnel has one run. There is one lane in each direction, with one extra low-speed lane on each approach. A new tunnel will be built, the completion of which is scheduled for 2027/2028.
Speed limit is 70 km/h and the deepest point is 134 meters below sea level. The tunnel is served by an average of 9500 vehicles daily.
Stub: Vegvesen
Read our next article: A stone fell on a car in a tunnel ...
