Advertisement

Stockholm bypass delayed as costs soar for multi-billion infrastructure project

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Stockholm bypass delayed as costs soar for multi-billion infrastructure project
The underground bypass was first approved in 2009. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

One of Sweden's largest ongoing infrastructure projects faces a delay of another four years before it is completed – and is then expected to have gone more than three billion kronor over budget.

Advertisement

In 2009, the Swedish government approved plans to build a roughly 20 kilometre underground motorway bypass underneath the capital, linking northern Stockholm to southern Stockholm.

It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Sweden and has been a major topic of debate for years, with those in favour saying it will help stop daily gridlocks on the current motorway that runs through central parts of the city, that even those who only want to get past the city and not go into the centre have to battle.

Those against argue that another road will only lead to more cars, not less congestion.

The bypass has been hampered by problems since its start.

Swedish public radio news programme Ekot now reports that instead of being completed in 2026 at a cost of 34.4 billion kronor ($3.58 billion), it will now only be ready for traffic in 2030 to the tune of 37.7 billion.

There are several reasons behind the delay.


The bypass was initially expected to take eight years to complete. Photo: Fredrik Persson/TT

One of the main ones was that project bosses this spring decided to terminate the contract of one of the primary suppliers for a central part of the construction, citing mismanagement and slow progress.

Another reason is that some parts of the tunnel, which at its deepest point is to run 90 metres under the surface of Lake Mälaren, have turned out to be trickier for workers to dig through than expected.

"It is of course a double-edged sword. We are running at full speed. But the situation today is such that we have to reassess time and cost compared to when the project started. That is of course sad news," Johan Brantmark, the Swedish Transport Administration's bypass project head, told Ekot.

It was also discovered that the former contractor had made several serious errors during building work at the site on the Lovön island, for example not reinforcing the rock in the tunnels properly. Brantmark told Ekot on Tuesday that the contractor had used the wrong rock bolt for stabilizing the excavation.

The new temporary contractors therefore had to install more than 4,000 new rock bolts in the tunnels, according to Ekot. The Transport Administration declined to confirm or comment on those reports.

When it is eventually finished, the bypass – known as Förbifart Stockholm in Swedish – is going to be a primarily underground motorway connection that will link Kungens Kurva south of Stockholm with Häggvik to the north. Of its total length of 21 kilometres, around 18 will be inside tunnels.

Vocabulary

tunnel – (en) tunnel

bypass – (en) förbifart

motorway – (en) motorväg

underground (adjective) – underjordisk

contractor – (en) entreprenör

We're aiming to help our readers improve their Swedish by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find it useful? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also