– We have received little attention for our wishes, says county mayor Tore Opdal Hansen. He is supported by the mayor of Dram, Kjell Arne Hermansen, who states that the status of negotiations on the urban growth agreement is at rest.
THE DRAMA: On Friday, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) presented the National Transport Plan (NTP) for the period 2025–2036.
Of the major road projects Buskerud county council had on its priority list, only rv. 7 Ørgenvika-Kittilsvik which is mentioned in the first period of the new NTP, and which in practice becomes a binding priority.
– There are many small and large projects in Buskerud that are mentioned in NTP, but unfortunately it is only rv. 7 Ørgenvika – Kittilsvik which is prioritized in the first six-year period of the plan, i.e. from 2025 to 2030. Prioritization after 2030 has limited value as the NTP will be revised in four years, says county mayor Tore Opdal Hansen.
He is supported by the mayor of Dram, Kjell Arne Hermansen, who also finds no reason to pop the champagne.
– It’s very good that both E134 and Holmenbrua are included in NTP, but I’m not buying cake until the shovel is in the ground. We must now put pressure on the Norwegian Road Administration to start construction earlier, says Hermansen.
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City growth agreement on site rest
Hermansen is also not impressed with what Buskerudbyen gets out of it in terms of urban growth negotiations.
In the proposal for a new NTP, it is stated that it will be “topical to invite Buskerudbyen to negotiations” beyond the planning period, but that so far no decision has been taken as to when it might be relevant to start up.
This is in accordance with previous messages from the state to Buskerudbyen. At the press conference, the Minister of Transport reiterated that there is no absolute requirement for tolls in order to obtain an urban growth agreement, but that it will not be possible to reach the zero growth target without car-restrictive measures.
– We are happy to be among the nine urban areas that have or can receive an urban growth agreement. But I can’t see that the state is any more concrete now about the start time than before, unfortunately. We could of course wish that the state was clearer about when the negotiations can start, says Kjell Arne Hermansen.
Buskerudbyen currently has a reward agreement with the state, and until further notice the government plans to continue this.
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– The Holmenbrua must be prioritized in the National Transport Plan
The E18 development is halted: – Incredibly disappointing
In Asker and Bærum, the response from the mayors is also anger and frustration after part two of the E18 development (Ramstadsletta–Nesbru) has now been put on hold, and taken out of the new NTP – something that will also affect thousands of residents in the Drammen area every day .
The project will at best be greatly delayed, at worst put on hold.
– After all, several hundreds of millions have been spent on planning this continuation of the E18. It is incredibly disappointing that the government does not prioritize completion. The old bridges that make up today’s motorway – must be replaced soon anyway, and that should be included in the overall calculation, says Mayor Lisbeth Hammer Krogh (H) in Bærum to VG.
Railway development put on hold
The Ringeriksbanen was, as part of the joint project with E16, the project that Viken/Buskerud county council gave the highest priority in its input to NTP. The project is not prioritized with funds in the plan, but will instead be included as part of a new long-distance train strategy.
– New Ringeriksbane is the most important railway project in our region. It is a big line in the bill that the project is not prioritized in NTP. That the project will now be included as part of a new strategy, I fear, is just a paraphrase of the fact that nothing will come of it, says Tore Opdal Hansen.
The government does not make any promises about better train services to Kongsberg in the NTP proposal.
A study that WSP has carried out for Buskerudbyen shows that it may be possible to get a far better train service to Hokksund and Kongsberg at a much lower price than what a double track would cost. The investigation is such a good starting point that the mayors believe that funds must be set aside to develop the Drammen – Kongsberg train service.
Maintenance pot: – Monner little
Buskerud county is struggling, like many other counties, with a large maintenance backlog on the county roads. There are some technical changes in the funding for the county roads.
In the transport plan that was presented today, an increase of close to NOK 300 million is planned for Buskerud in the first six-year period, i.e. just under NOK 50 million per year.
– It is positive to have a subsidy for the maintenance of the county roads, but close to NOK 300 million spread over a six-year period is very little, and we are nowhere near making up for the maintenance backlog in Buskerud, says Opdal Hansen.
Meets the minister after Easter
Both urban development agreement, trains and perhaps bridges and roads will be topics when both Hermansen and Opdal Hansen have a meeting with the transport minister on 15 April.
In the meeting, they want to clarify the premises for what is needed for negotiations on the urban growth agreement to start, and what Buskerudbyen can do to put the conditions in the best possible shape.
– We will see what results the meeting produces, concludes Opdal Hansen.
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