Sarpsborg invests little in upgrading municipal roads. In total, there are approximately 320 kilometers of road and this year only 2.5 kilometers of these are being upgraded.
– The list of prioritized projects includes six stretches with a total length of 2,525 metres. The prioritization is based on an overall assessment of conditions such as road standards, extent of damage and traffic volume, reports the director of the municipality in a memo to the Committee for Planning, Environment and Technology.
A number of municipal roads are in very poor condition and are crying out for upgrading, but due to cost increases, road sections are getting shorter and shorter and are being upgraded for the same amount of funding.
This year’s plan for upgrading and upgrading municipal roads is:
- Per Gynt road in Courland. This is a busy collector road with extensive road damage and deep ruts. The project is carried out during the school holidays due to the proximity to Kurland school.
- Sandåsveien in Skjeberg. This is a gravel road, and asphalting gravel roads results in reduced operating expenses. A section will therefore be paved with particularly costly maintenance due to the long driving distance and several hills. This is a large project that may need to be split over two years. The project will be completed in 2025.
- Several industrial roads in Hafslund have a lot of heavy traffic and that causes a lot of wear and tear which means they can break down. The municipality has chosen to prioritize Torpebaugen, Opphaugveien and Sarpebakken in this area. These projects will be carried out during the first half of 2024.
- Grålumveien in the center of Greåker and Jellestadveien in Borgenhaugen are two very run-down stretches where the municipality is dependent on cooperation with the development projects for water and drainage and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to be able to carry them out this year. If one or both of these projects have to be postponed until 2025, available funds will be used to complete a longer stretch of Sandåsveien.
- The Kalaveien south of the Kalabanen at Borgenhaugen was prioritized in 2023, but is currently postponed. The reason for this is that this section must be kept open when the next stage of Skjebergveien is completed. It is not appropriate to work in both Kalaveien and Skjebergveien at the same time.
The municipal director clarifies that other road sections will also be upgraded in connection with excavation work, among other things as a result of the replacement of water and drainage lines. Such upgrades are financed through these projects, the note states.
The sum of NOK 10.5 million is taken from the municipality’s investment budget.
A separate grant of NOK 4 million has also been set aside to upgrade road sections that are dug up for other reasons, such as upgrading water and drainage lines.
Nor is the county investing heavily in upgrading roads in Sarpsborg. This year they only have plans to upgrade county road 114 (Trøskenveien) from Tingvoll to Bjørnelandsevja. The stretch is 5.4 kilometers.
