On Friday, December 17 closed will stay a bridge to traffic for seven hours while construction work is underway. Closing from class 08.30 to class 15.30.
There is a reservation regarding the planned closure, namely, it depends on whether there will be light wind on Friday.
The detour for passenger cars (up to 7,5 tons) and buses takes place on the fv. 6508. The detour for heavier vehicles (over 7,5 tons) leads through E39 and E136. Road users are encouraged to adjust their speed to the conditions and take the necessary attention to other road users.
Read the updated traffic reports at www.vegvesen.no/trafikk
This is a job that requires high precision
The reason why the bridge on E6 is closed to traffic is that there will be a crane during the work on the temporary bridge.
- We will use three cranes when we disconnect the assembly part in front of the utility structure. This is a very precise job, says Acting Section Manager Karoline Valle at the Norwegian Public Roads Authority.
In mid-November, works on the assembly of the bridge were temporarily suspended due to a crack in the welded joint on the assembly part of the bridge.
- On December 17, we will remove the damaged part of the structure, and on Saturday we will complete the assembly of the bridge - explains Valle.
The work, scheduled for Friday, requires three large cranes to relieve the bridge and remove the assembly part. The last 30 meters of the bridge will be installed on Saturday. Assembly is made from the south bank of the Stavaa River and the bridge is moved forward as the parts are assembled. For this work, one large crane is enough and the traffic on E6 will not be affected.
The timing of this work was somewhat uncertain. The reason is the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, wind conditions and the available cranes to carry out the work.
- In this case, we are completely dependent on having the appropriate competencies available for many key functions to get the job done. In addition, we depend on light winds to get the job done safely, Valle explains.
Counting on the opening of the traffic in the spring of 2022.
- We are working on transferring E6 traffic to the new bridge in spring 2022. This depends both on the approval of the bridge by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and on the independent inspection of Det Norske Veritas to show that the bridge is in good condition. To achieve this, we are also dependent on construction site work, which is affected by both winter weather and the pandemic situation, Valle says.
The existing E6 Stavåbrua was built in 1942 and has a reduced load capacity. In order to ensure traffic safety and accessibility on the road network, the Norwegian Public Road Administration is building a new bridge pending the construction of a new route on this section. The temporary bridge is the longest of its kind in Norway, it is 140 meters long and has a free span of 99,5 meters.
Photo: Kjetil Sletten, The Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Source: State Road Administration
Read our next article: Update of restrictions and recommendations in Norway
