Høgre criticizes Norwegian government’s road policy and proposes 500 million kroner for county road upgrades

The right-wing political party, Høgre, is criticizing the government’s approach to road policy, claiming it is detrimental to rural areas. The party proposes an additional 500 million Norwegian kroner for upgrading county roads in its alternative budget. According to Høgre’s deputy leader, Henrik Asheim, about half of all serious accidents occur on these roads, highlighting the urgent need for improved maintenance.

Asheim visited a tricky section of a county road in Bergen, accompanied by local party members, to assess the situation firsthand and emphasize the importance of prioritizing road maintenance. Currently, local governments receive 480 million kroner to manage the 44,000 kilometers of roads for which they are responsible. Asheim argues that the current policies neglect the challenges faced in rural regions, especially after the removal of specific funding for county roads.

In response, Tom Kalsås, a State Secretary from the ruling Labour Party, believes Høgre’s plan would siphon funds from road maintenance and operation budgets, which total over 10 billion kroner. He acknowledges the pressing need for upgrades but points out that the government intends to allocate an additional billion kroner for this purpose in the coming years. Kalsås raises concerns about Høgre diverting funds from vital national roads, stressing the potential impact on safety across the country.

The maintenance backlog for county roads has been increasing annually and currently stands at almost 100 billion kroner, with 14 billion kroner of this backlog attributed to the Vestland region alone. Local politicians are calling for increased funding, but Asheim assures that the proposed investments would be focused to benefit the areas most in need.