CEEQUAL rating of Excellent for new highway in Norway

Rv.3/25 is a 26 kilometre new highway between Løten and Elverum. The project is very important for the local regions and connects the two municipalities Løten and Elverum closer together. Further the new highway is one of the most important national transport routes with shortest and fastest road connection between the big cities Oslo and Trondheim.

Financial Close for the Project occurred on 30 May 2018, with Hedmarksvegen AS (PPP Co) signing the Project Contract with Norwegian Public Road Administration (SVV) for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Rv3/Rv25 Ommangsvollen-Grundset/Basthjørnet highway project.

Hedmarksvegen AS (PPP Co) has contracted out the design and construction obligations and risks to the Construction Contractor formed by Skanska Norge AS (Skanska Norge). PPP Co has also contracted out the operation and maintenance obligations and risks to the O&M.

People and communities
Both the communities Løten and Elverum is affected as a result of the new road. In the regulation phase the Norwegian Public Road Administration (SVV) did a great work with stakeholders, farmers and the local community. This gave the contractor a good opportunity to continue the good dialogue between the parties. The project really succeeded with communication through open meetings once a month, posting news on the blog and a dedicated neighbour contact.

As the project seized a big portion of agricultural land the design enabled us to establish new areas for the future. Surplus masses from the project was also used to even out the “wet areas” of the agricultural land. This will give the farmers better growth conditions and productivity in the future.

Pedestrian paths and recreation areas has been given a huge focus since the planning of the new road started. Cross-country skiers, hikers and cyclists use the forest and areas along the new road through all seasons. The focus and main goal was to avoid that the new road would be a barrier between the community and forest. A light-crossing in Grundsetmarka was established in order to let the cross-country skiers pass safely over the construction site during winter-season. Signs and reflective equipment was handed out in small boxes where the public could collect and use before crossing the site at predetermined locations.

Land use and landscape
The client started the planning of new rv.3/25 back in 2002. An extensive baseline study of the different alternatives for the design and location was conducted. The final location of the road has been emphasised on the basis of: the local environment, landscape, cultural heritage, pollution, outdoor activities, ecology and biodiversity, agriculture, resources and the economy during both construction and operation.

With these underlying frameworks the main goal was to give the travellers an adventure that takes you through agricultural land, the start of the boreal forest and reflect the moraine in Elverum. The access to raw materials in the project had beneficial effects for the landscape forming. Sand, moraine and good quality of rock materials made it possible to re-use all the resources within the road area.

Ecology and biodiversity
Around 6-800 moose move north and south during the season and a lot of the accidents on the old road was related to this. The new rv.3/25 consists of 2 wild-life crossings and one of them is the biggest wild-life crossings in Norway. The design of the under-passes enhances more light and wider openings for a more suitable passing for wildlife. The client plans a program for the maintenance period to survey the moose and their habits related to the new situation.

During design the project implemented a flower meadow at the levelled crossing at Tønset. The meadow is seen as an important habitat for insects. The seeds were collected during spring and summer 2019 and the mix are native species for the area.

Water environment
The drinking water source in Elverum, based on a ground water source, is seen as one of the best in Norway. The project crosses this source over a stretch for about 1,2 km in the northern part. To ensure high quality of the source also in the future a sealed membrane has been implemented in the ditch. The membrane will lead the water (and road salt in the wintertime) down to a secure place to dispose the water.

In Norway the use of salt is necessary to ensure good friction on the road when temperature gets low. 3 sensors along the road has been implemented to reduce the consumption of salt, potentially 1 out of 5 saltings during winter-season can be eliminated.

Along the road an open drainage solution has been chosen with a sand filter in the ditch and lets the water into the frost protection layer. The solution combines filtration and delay of the drainage water before discharge to the recipient (on-site solution). Microplastic from car tiers are one of the main contributors to plastic pollution. The sand in the ditch will avoid the microplastic and other particles to enter the drainage and recipients. The ditch design take into consideration a 200-year flood + 40%.

Several creaks cross the road in different places. They have an important role in spawning ground for fishes. A program during constriction and O&M was set up to monitor the chemical composition and living conditions in the water environment. EL-fishing was registered and fish were measured (catch and release).

The project successfully resulted in:

• 15,2 km with 4-lanes highway
• 10,4 km with 2-3 lanes
• 10 bridges
• 18 under/-overpasses
• 2 wildlife crossings
• 2 roundabouts
• 7 km pedestrian path
• 2 T-crossings
• 3 level crossings
• New control station at Ånestad

When asked about the saving that the CEEQUAL assessment provided, a spokesperson for the project shared, “The main savings in the project as a result of implementation of CEEQUAL is related to transport and reuse of masses. For example 95% of Guardrail materials and 69% in the case of asphalt were re-used, while 82% of total materials used was recycled. This indirectly reduced the need for purchase and transport of materials for road construction from external quarries. The dewatering system which is based on the usage of local well grained sand has also been important.”

They continued, “CEEQUAL represented value for money. First of all for the project directly, for Skanska Norway and as a driver for further implementation of sustainability in future infrastructure projects in Norway. Since we started working with CEEQUAL on the Rv 3/25 project back in 2018 all major Clients in Rail and Road developments has taken important steps to include CEEQUAL as a mandatory process in the projects, which is important to develop projects with a large focus on sustainability with a financial benefit.”