By Ashley Karen
NCC, a Swedish construction company, has been authorized by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to build a new road and tunnel between Breivika and Lerstad in Ålesund Municipality in Norway. As reported, the order value is about SEK 1.5 billion.
Kjell Inge Davik, Director of the Construction Division at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, stated: “This is a very important project for both the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Bypakke Ålesund. The new road will ensure efficient and future-oriented traffic flows into central Ålesund.”
NCC will build route E136, a 3.3-km, four-lane road that will mainly pass via a tunnel, which is also part of the contract. The road is the primary part of the main Bypakke Ålesund infrastructure project, an initiative to ease road traffic in Ålesund.
Despite relieving pressure on the current road network and building space for more public transport, the new road will correspondingly cut travel times and enhance accessibility and road safety.
Kenneth Nilsson, Head of NCC Infrastructure, mentioned: “This project is particularly well aligned with NCC’s expertise in road and tunnel construction, and together with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, we have set the prerequisites for a successful partnership. We are delighted to have been entrusted with this task and look forward to commencing work on this important project.”
NCC is highly experienced in roads and tunnels construction; for instance, it is building sections of Stockholm’s new metro line and, in recent years, has constructed two new road tunnels and a roundabout under the seabed in the Faroe Islands, where the final Sandoy tunnel was supplied, in December 2023.
Construction is assigned to begin in spring 2024, and the project is planned for completion in 2027.
