ETNE: A significant rockslide struck Route 134 and the village of Fjæra on Sunday morning, causing substantial damage but no injuries.
Since Sunday, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and geologists have been working to assess the extent of the slide and determine what is needed to reopen the road.
– As things stand now, the road can be opened on Wednesday, March 11, says Svenn Egil Finden, Director of Operations and Maintenance for Western Norway at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
– However, this is subject to change. It may take longer, but it could also be faster if we complete the work, he added.
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More Rock Needs to Come Down
Officials say there is still a significant risk of further landslides.
– There remains a section of rock approximately 50 x 30 x 10 meters in size that is unstable and must be removed. Our crew is working on bringing down these rock masses before the road can be reopened, Finden explained, adding that the exact volume may vary.
He estimates the initial rockslide involved between 3,000 and 5,000 cubic meters of stone.
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The Roads Administration is considering several techniques, including using air cushions lowered into cracks and inflated to loosen the rock, or controlled blasting.
– Currently, we have a climbing team of two working on the mountainside, with additional personnel positioned higher up. We may increase this to three climbing teams, or six people in the mountainside, but they can never work on top of each other, Finden said.
Unbelievable
Svenn Egil Finden and specialists have reviewed older images of the mountainside where the slide occurred.
– You wouldn’t believe this mountain could slide, he stated.
– Would the safety barriers located higher up the slope, near the Mowi building, have stopped the rock masses that came down on Sunday?
– No, no, no, Finden replied.
– They might have slowed the rock blocks a bit, but never stopped them, he told Haugesunds Avis.
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