Cost of upgrading Norwegian county roads surges by nearly half a billion kroner following storm Hans

The cost to upgrade Norwegian county roads has increased by nearly half a billion kroner following the extreme weather event “Hans.” Politician Iselin Vistekleiven from the Labour Party expressed concern that lives could be lost if emergency services are unable to reach affected areas due to inadequate road conditions.

Before “Hans” hit in August of last year, an estimated shortfall of 80 to 90 billion kroner was identified for road upgrades nationwide. In the Innlandet region alone, the maintenance backlog for county roads stands between 7 to 8 billion kroner. Authorities are urging the state to contribute more funds to fortify roads against increased rainfall and extreme weather events, emphasizing that roads must be designed to handle greater water volumes.

The August storm severely impacted the eastern region, and further rainfall caused additional challenges this year, particularly in Telemark and Innlandet, affecting critical routes. In response, the government has proposed an 11.4% budget increase for county roads in 2025, amounting to 4.16 billion kroner in total funding. This will primarily target maintenance, rockslide mitigation, and tunnel improvements.

Despite the funds, huge disparities exist between national and county road standards, leading to significant challenges in maintenance. In Innlandet, 30 county roads sustained damage from extreme weather conditions on September 9-10, with eight of them still closed.

Vistekleiven has urged for an urgent reinforcement of the road infrastructure to ensure safety and preparedness against future weather events. The government is currently assessing funding requests to improve roads’ resilience against heavy rainfall, but existing funds are insufficient for the necessary upgrades.