– According to everything that came to light, he was simply going to be gone. Whoever is responsible must also foot the bill, says County Mayor Aud Hove.
The mayor of fylke Innlandet, together with deputy mayor Per-Gunnar Sveen and mayor of Øyer Jon Halvor Midtmageli, will meet with Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård to present compensation claims in connection with the bridge collapse in Tretten.
Also read: Elections 2023 – District Electoral Commissions in Norway
Statens vegvesen took no further action
The first interim report of the National Accident Investigation Commission following the collapse of the Tretten Bridge on August 15 last year states that the Norwegian Roads Authority failed to take follow-up action on the bridge in line with the weaknesses and deficiencies detected.
Even though the bridge was found to be insufficient in 2016, it was not strengthened and no other measures or restrictions were initiated. On the contrary, exemptions were regularly granted for transports much heavier than the bridge could carry.
Almost half a billion crowns are the costs associated with the Tretten Bridge
The district authorities demand that the state fully compensate the district commune for expenses related to the cleaning, construction and rental of the temporary bridge. They also want compensation for the additional costs associated with increased maintenance and rerouting, and for the state to cover the full cost of rebuilding a new permanent bridge in Tretten.
In total, we are talking about expenses of PLN 400-500 million NOK. In addition, residents and the business community in Tretten faced burdens and additional costs for almost a year while the town was divided in two.
At the meeting, the mayor reminded the transport minister of what he had said when he visited Tretten the same day the bridge collapsed.
– We must have trust in the state – he believes.
If the state does not take action, the costs associated with malfunction in Tretten will have serious consequences for fylke. This will include activities related to maintenance and traffic safety on the road network in Innlandet. Currently, the road network is already characterized by huge maintenance backlogs.
“This will have major consequences on our ability to make the county's roads safer, says Hove, noting that there has been a big increase number of people killed on the roads in Innlandet.
Randklev Bridge
The Randklev Bridge was also the subject of a meeting with the Minister of Transport. Both the railway and road bridges need to be urgently rebuilt and repaired.
Parts of the railway bridge are located in Lågen and divided the Dovrebanen into two parts. The road bridge is also closed after damage to two pillars was detected.
The fylke Innlandet board believes that the reconstruction/repair should be carried out as part of a joint project led by Bane NOR.
Positive meeting with the minister
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård did not open his wallet or make any specific promises during his meeting with a delegation from the interior of the country. Despite this, County Mayor Aud Hove described the meeting as positive.
– We were met with understanding, and the Minister of Transport sees the seriousness of the information that appeared in the first partial report of the Accident Investigation Commission. He also sees that this will have serious consequences for the possibility of modernizing county roads, he says.
Nygård said he would wait for the interim report of the Accident Investigation Commission, as well as the report following an ongoing internal investigation at the Norwegian Public Roads Authority. Both are expected within the year.
– We agreed to meet again in the new year. Then we expect there will be money on the table, says Hove.
Like us on Facebook and share our post with others
Source: fylke Innlandet
Also read: Enjoy autumn outdoors and by the fire
