Rogfast

Last updated
Rogfast
Rogaland Fixed Link
Oversiktstegning Rogfast mai 2017.pdf
Overview
Location Rogaland, Norway
Coordinates 59°04′26″N5°27′19″E / 59.07389°N 5.45528°E / 59.07389; 5.45528
StatusUnder construction
RouteStamvei E39.svg E39
Start Randaberg
End Bokn
Operation
Work begun4 January 2018,
halted October 2019,
restart autumn 2021 (by Nov 2020 plan)
Opens2033
Operator Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Tollyes
Technical
Length27 kilometres (17 mi)
Lowest elevation−392 metres (−1,286 ft)

Rogaland Fixed Link or simply the Rogfast is a project, constructing a sub-sea road tunnel between the municipalities of Randaberg (near the city of Stavanger) and Bokn in Rogaland county, Norway. The tunnel will be called the Boknafjord tunnel; it will be a world record with respect to its 27-kilometre (17 mi) length and its maximum depth of 392 metres (1,286 ft) below sea level. This will be a part of the main European route E39 highway along the west coast of Norway and it will link the cities of Kristiansand – Stavanger – Haugesund – Bergen. [1] It is currently slated for a 2033 opening. [2]

Contents

Original plan: 2017

The tunnel is planned as a 27-kilometre (17 mi) long roadway which will run below the Boknafjorden and Kvitsøyfjorden. A 4.1-kilometre (2.5 mi) spur connection tunnel, called the Kvitsøy tunnel, going to the island municipality of Kvitsøy is included in the project.

The project was approved by the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) in May 2017, and it was planned to be finished in 2025–26. [3] At that time, the project was projected to cost NOK16.8 billion (about €1.73 billion), [4] with financing set at NOK11 billion from a loan to be paid by tolls, and 6 billion directly from the government.

Construction began in January 2018, with a ceremony for the initial rock blasting for one future entrance to the tunnel. [5]

Project halt and updated plans: 2019–2020

In October 2019, due to cost overruns predicted in budgetary updates, the project was halted, with all plans for issuing of contracts (the project was being contracted out in stages) cancelled. In December 2019, the government requested a full review and revised budget update. [6]

The first public awareness of higher costs had occurred in July 2019, when the Norwegian Public Roads Administration announced that it had received only two bids on the contract for the spur connection tunnel to Kvitsøy, the lowest of which was NOK1 billion higher than the amount approved by the Storting in 2017. [7] In September 2019, the Kvitsøy bidding process was closed without granting a contract. [7] An update in November 2019 suggested that the earliest possible completion of the project would be in 2029. [8]

By April 2020, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's revised update estimated that the cost of the total project (including the Kvitsøy spur) had increased to NOK25 billion, an increase of NOK6.4 billion, but stated it believed there were savings of up to NOK4 billion to be found before it would submit a revised funding request to the government. [9]

In October 2020, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration brought its revised plan to the government for consideration. [10] Included was the intention to divide the entire project into four contracts, with the comprehensive bidding process for the first three contracts to start in 2021, for work to commence in late 2021 and early 2022. [10] These three contracts will cover: the Kvitsøy tunnel segment; the long tunnel segment building north from Randaberg; and the long tunnel segment building south from Bokn. [10] The fourth contract, completing the interchange tunnels connecting the Kvitsøy tunnel to the other two, will go to bidding when the Kvitsøy tunnel is completed. [10] The interconnection, allowing the Rogfast to open, is now forecast to be completed in 2031. [10]

In late November 2020, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration received new approval from the government for a revised budget of NOK24.8 billion (€2.55 billion) (contrary to the April 2020 "hope" of reducing it to NOK21 billion), an increase of roughly NOK8 billion from the budget approved in 2017. [11] The government agreed to increase its direct contribution to NOK9.9 billion, with the remaining NOK14.9 billion to be financed by borrowing that would be repaid by tolls charged to vehicles using the Rogfast; this constituted matching NOK3.9 billion increases on both the government contribution and the toll-based loan. [11]

As of March 2022 the estimated opening date has further been delayed to 2033, with more recent delays due to gaining successful contractor bids. [12]

On December 12, 2022, the first main contract was signed with Skanska for the construction of the northern part of the 26.7-kilometer tunnel, valued at nearly 5 billion NOK [13] . The second main contract, signed on January 9, 2023, with Implenia Norge, focuses on the southern part of the tunnel, amounting to 4 billion NOK​ [14] .

As of November 2023, in the Kvitsøy tunnel, contractor Hæhre/Risa completed the blasting phase, conducting around 800 blasts over 3.5 kilometers, and initiated groundwork for water and sewage systems, targeting completion of their contract by spring/summer next year [15] . In Mekjarvik, Implenia/Stangeland has excavated 1.3 kilometers of the tunnel, with the aim to reach daylight by early 2024 [16] . Construction has also commenced at the other end [17] .


Name

The name Rogfast is an abbreviation for the Norwegian name Rogaland fastforbindelse which is translated to English as the "Rogaland fixed link". Boknafjord tunnel refers to the Boknafjord and Kvitsøy tunnel to the Kvitsøy island.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogaland</span> County of Norway

Rogaland ( ) is a county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 479,892. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Stavanger, which is one of the largest cities in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bokn</span> Municipality in Rogaland, Norway

Bokn is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Føresvik, the only urban area in Bokn. Other villages in Bokn include Arsvågen, Trosnavåg, and Loten. The island municipality is mostly located on the three islands of Ognøya, Vestre Bokn, and Austre Bokn. All three main islands are connected to the mainland via a network of bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randaberg</span> Municipality in Rogaland, Norway

Randaberg is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren, at the northern end of the Stavanger Peninsula. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Randaberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rennesøy</span> Former municipality in Rogaland, Norway

Rennesøy is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It was merged into Stavanger municipality on 1 January 2020. It was located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vikevåg. Other villages in Rennesøy included Askje and Sørbø. The municipality encompassed a number of islands on the south side of the Boknafjorden, north of the city of Stavanger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvitsøy</span> Municipality in Rogaland, Norway

Kvitsøy is an island municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. At only 6.29-square-kilometre (2.43 sq mi), it is the smallest municipality in Norway by area and one of the smallest by population. Kvitsøy is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ydstebøhamn on the island of Kvitsøy. The municipality is an archipelago located at the entrance to the large Boknafjorden. It sits about 2 nautical miles northwest of the mainland Stavanger peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boknafjord</span> Fjord in Rogaland county, Norway

Boknafjord or Boknafjorden is a fjord located in Rogaland county, Norway. The huge fjord lies between the cities of Stavanger and Haugesund and dominates the central part of the county. The main part of the fjord is shared between the municipalities of Kvitsøy, Stavanger, Tysvær, Bokn, and Karmøy. There are dozens of smaller fjords that branch off the main part of the fjord, reaching most municipalities in the county. At its longest, the Boknafjord reaches about 96 kilometres (60 mi) into the mainland at the innermost point of the Hylsfjorden. Other notable branches include the Saudafjorden, Sandsfjorden, Vindafjorden, Hervikfjorden, Førresfjorden, Erfjorden, Jøsenfjorden, Årdalsfjorden, Idsefjorden, Høgsfjorden, Lysefjorden, and Gandsfjorden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European route E39</span> Road in trans-European E-road network

European route E39 is the designation of a 1,330 kilometres (830 mi) north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ydstebøhamn</span> Village in Western Norway, Norway

Ydstebøhamn or Ystabøhamn is the administrative centre of Kvitsøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the island of Kvitsøy. The village has a ferry quay which receives regular ferries from the town of Skudeneshavn on the island of Karmøy across the Boknafjorden to the north, and to the village of Mekjarvik in Randaberg municipality across the Kvitsøyfjorden on the mainland to the south. The planned Rogfast undersea tunnel will connect Kvitsøy to the mainland to the north and south as part of the government's goal of providing a ferry-free European route E39 highway along the west coast of Norway.

Stavangerske is a defunct Norwegian ferry operator based in Stavanger. A subsidiary of Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap (DSD), it operates car- and passenger ferries primarily in Rogaland county. The company's ferries with less than 100 seats are operated by Fjordservice. It merged with Tide in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian Public Roads Administration</span>

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is a Norwegian government agency responsible for national and county public roads in Norway. This includes planning, construction and operation of the national and county road networks, driver training and licensing, vehicle inspection, and subsidies to car ferries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryfast</span> Sub-sea tunnel system in Rogaland county, Norway

Ryfast is a subsea tunnel system in Rogaland county, Norway. The tunnel system is part of the Norwegian National Road 13, and it runs between the city of Stavanger in Stavanger Municipality, under a large fjord, and the area of Solbakk in the municipality of Strand.

The T-Link is a road/bridge/tunnel project in Rogaland, Norway which took four years to build. It consists of the 8.9-kilometer (5.5 mi) long Karmøy Tunnel, which connects the island of Karmøy with European Route E39 in Tysvær, and a 9.8-kilometer (6.1 mi) section of road from a roundabout in the tunnel north to Haugesund. The project includes the 50-metre (160 ft) long Tuastad Bridge, the 687-metre (2,254 ft) long Husafjell Tunnel and the 260-metre (850 ft) long Spannavarden Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byfjord Tunnel</span>

The Byfjord Tunnel is a subsea road tunnel in Rogaland county, Norway. The 5,875-metre-long (19,275 ft) tunnel runs between the village of Grødem on the mainland in Randaberg municipality and the island of Sokn in Stavanger municipality, running underneath the Byfjorden. The tunnel was built as part of the Rennesøy Fixed Link project which opened in 1992 with the goal of connecting all the islands of Rennesøy to the mainland. The tunnel was a toll road from 1992 until 2006. The tunnel is part of European route E39 highway. With a maximum 8% grade, the tunnel reaches a depth of 223 metres (732 ft) below sea level at its lowest point. The tunnel was Europe's longest and the world's deepest tunnel upon its completion, it was surpassed by a deeper tunnel in 1994 and a longer tunnel in 1999. The tunnel had an average daily traffic of 9,717 vehicles in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stavanger District Court</span> Former district court in Norway

Stavanger District Court was a district court in Rogaland county, Norway. The court was based in the city of Stavanger. The court existed until 2021. It had jurisdiction over the central part of the county which included the municipalities of Hjelmeland, Kvitsøy, Randaberg, Sola, Stavanger, and Strand. Cases from this court could be appealed to Gulating Court of Appeal. The court was led by the chief judge Tor Christian Carlsen. This court employed a chief judge, 18 other judges, and 24 prosecutors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvitsøy (island)</span> Island in Norway

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvitsøy Vessel Traffic Service Centre</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hundvåg Tunnel</span> Road underpass in Stavanger, Norway

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrisbrua</span> Bridge in Larvik, Norway

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryfylke Tunnel</span> Underwater road tunnel in Norway

The Ryfylke Tunnel is an undersea road tunnel in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Norwegian National Road 13 running between Stavanger and Ryfylke (district) under the Horgefjord. The tunnel is part of the Ryfast project. It is 14.4 kilometres (8.9 mi) long and is currently the world's longest subsea road tunnel, and the deepest tunnel of any kind. Both records are expected to be surpassed by Rogfast, which is projected to open in 2033.

References

  1. ↑ Myrset, Ola. "Oppstart for kjerneboring i Boknafjorden". Stavanger Aftenbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  2. ↑ Strand, Sindre (18 March 2022). "Slik skal Rogfast ferdigstilles til planlagt tid". Byggindustrien. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Lien, Marthe S. (2018-01-04). "I dag starter byggingen på gigantprosjektet til 16,8 milliarder" [Today construction starts on the giant 16.8 billion project]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  4. ↑ "Fakta" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Public Roads Administration . Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  5. ↑ "Her smeller startskuddet for gigant-tunnelen" [Starting Shot for Giant Tunnel]. Motor (in Norwegian). Norwegian Automobile Federation. 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  6. ↑ Ellingsen, Øystein; Kalstad, Lise Marit; Stokka, Magnus (2019-12-19). "Startar full gjennomgang av gigantisk vegprosjekt" [Full Review Starts on Giant Road Project]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  7. 1 2 Lien, Marthe S. (2019-09-20). "Statens vegvesen avlyser Rogfast-kontrakt" [The Norwegian Public Roads Administration cancels Rogfast contract]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  8. ↑ "Rogfast tidligst ferdig i 2029" [Rogfast not to be finished until 2029 at the earliest]. E24 Næringsliv (including material from a Stavanger Aftenblad article) (in Norwegian). 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  9. ↑ Amundsen, Bjørn Olav (2020-04-29). "Statens vegvesen avlyser Rogfast-kontrakt" [The Norwegian Public Roads Administration on Rogfast: Over 4 billion can be cut]. Våre veger (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rogfast til Stortinget i desember" [Rogfast goes back to the Storting in December]. Haugesundregionens Næringsforening [Haugesund Region Business Association] (in Norwegian). 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  11. 1 2 Akhtar, Syed Ali Shahbaz; Oftedahl, Cathrine; Morsund, Gunnar (2020-11-20). "Regjeringen klar for å gå videre med Rogfast" [The Government is Ready to Move Forward with Rogfast]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  12. ↑ Skoglund, Earl (2 March 2022). "Den andre av tre store Rogfast-kontrakter er nå utlyst". Veier24. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Rogfast-kontrakt på 5 milliarder signert". vegvesen.no. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Signerte Rogfastkontrakt på 4 milliarder". vegvesen.no. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Så har entreprenøren Hæhre/Risa (...)". facebook.com. Rogfast, Statens vegvesen. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "I Mekjarvik går tunneldrivingen etter (...)". facebook.com. Rogfast, Statens vegvesen. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "På Harestad i Randaberg jobber (...)". facebook.com. Rogfast, Statens vegvesen. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
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