Design of a cross boarder motorway between Sweden and Norway: the Swedish approach.

The Scandinavian Link is a Motorway between Copenhagen and Oslo that is one leg of the Scandinavian Triangle (Copenhagen-Oslo-Stockholm/Helsinki-Copenhagen) that incorporates the European E6, E18 and E4 Trunk Roads. The idea of the Link was first proposed in the mid-80s by Pehr G Gyllenhammer former Chief Executive of Volvo. The Link was incorporate into the National Trunk Road system in the early 90s and Norway and Sweden speedily developed a plan and to construct new roads for forecast future traffic. The target completion date was 2005. On the section between Uddevalla and Oslo the plan involved improving 110 km of road in Sweden and 100 km of road in Norway with a new border bridge crossing Svinesund. This was opened in 2005 on the Centenary Anniversary of the dissolution of the Union between Norway and Sweden. As part of the original planning process the Swedish Ministry of Culture proposed architectural guidelines for the planning and designs of new roads and railways in Sweden which were adopted by the Swedish National Road Administration for the new E6 Motorway. Ramboll Sweden (formerly Scandiaconsult) was commissioned in 1998 to prepare a conceptual design for the road between Uddevalla and Svinesund. The first phase of the project was to design a road through the Bohuslaen coastal landscape where it was important that the road alignment and elevations blended with the surrounding landscape. The design took account of details such as industrial sites, bus stops, lay-bys, village links, service stations, and disposal of surplus excavated material. The second phase involved the detailed planning of the road sections and alignments; the design of central safety barriers and road side fences; methods of rock blasting; bridge designs; lighting; and roadside art. The construction of different sections of the motorway is now being implemented and Ramboll Sweden continues to be involved in the Project through the preparation of tender documents to appoint Contractors (A). Only abstract (as above) is available from the conference proceedings. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E212343.