“We see success in a public tender of this magnitude as an appreciation of our long-term work. Today, the Norwegian market regards us as equal partners, and this is certainly not a given for foreign companies. But we are approaching Røldal with great humility. Tunnelling over twelve kilometres is a challenge in itself – we will have to deal with fault zones, grouting due to water inflows and complicated ventilation. And when we add in emission-free technology, including a 40-tonne electric loader and battery-powered dumpers, we are raising the bar even higher,” said Jiří Horčička, sales director at Metrostav Norge AS.
The tunnel will be part of the European E134 highway, which passes through mountainous terrain and contains a number of tunnel sections. The new tunnel will significantly improve the safety and flow of traffic – especially during the winter months, when the current road is often impassable.
“We will celebrate twenty years of Scandinavian adventure next year. We couldn’t have asked for a better gift. Røldal will be the longest tunnel we have ever built in the Metrostav Group,” added Aleš Gothard, CEO of Metrostav Norge AS.
Construction of the Røldal-Seljestad section is scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2030. The investor in the new section of the E134 road is Statens vegvesen, a Norwegian equivalent of the Czech Highways and Motorways Directorate. Metrostav Norge AS will work on the project in association with Bertelsen & Garpestad AS. The work will take place in the form of Design & Build, including design activities. Metrostav will be responsible for complete tunnel boring and insulation against water and frost.
Metrostav Norge AS, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Czech Republic’s largest construction company, is currently working on, among other things, motorway tunnels on the E18 in southern Norway, a bridge over the Ramfjord, the refurbishment of Tromsø city tunnels, the Nerlandsøy Bridge on the west coast and underground caverns for the disposal of zinc production waste in Odda. Metrostav Group has built more than 57 kilometres of tunnels in northern Europe so far.
Radim Mana
Metrostav Group Spokesman
Metrostav a.s. Koželužská 2450/4 180 00 Prague 8
T: 266 019 715, M: 601 110 376
radim.mana@metrostav.cz
