Veidekke has secured an asphalt contract with construction and concession company Eiffage for the E18 motorway’s Rugtvedt-Langangen section in Norway.
Eiffage Norway is working as the design and build contractor for the company Nye Veier.
It is responsible for the construction of the E18 section between Langangen and Rugtvedt in Telemark, a county in Norway.
The latest contract with Veidekke is valued at around Nkr200m ($19.09m), excluding the value added tax.
It marks a significant development in the construction of the 17km four-lane motorway, which includes complex structures such as tunnels and other large bridge structures, including the new 600 metre long Grenland Bridge.
The asphalt contract spans three years, with the initial phase of work expected to commence in the spring this year. It involves producing and laying around 170,000 tonnes of asphalt on the motorway.
Veidekke said that the bulk of the asphalt will be laid in 2025, ahead of the motorway's opening in 2026.
Veidekke Asfalt director Martin Holmqvist said: “We will produce the asphalt at our plants in Larvik and Skien. A significant volume of recycled asphalt will be used, including from the old section on the E18 road.
“We also hope to reuse rock from tunnel driving in the area for new asphalt if the quality is satisfactory. This will reduce the need to extract natural resources and at the same time be very local raw materials, which is very positive for the environment and in line with our commitment to sustainability.”
Development of E18 Rugtvedt – Langangen section is divided into three sub-parcels, with two currently under development and the third, E18 Kjørholt – Preståsen, in the optimisation phase in collaboration with Eiffage and Nye Veier.
The E18 Rugtvedt – Langangen project is designed to alleviate significant traffic flow challenges through Porsgrunn by constructing large bridge structures and tunnels, including the new Grenland Bridge.
In February 2023, Veidekke received a contract from the Swedish Transport Administration to support the protection works on the Haga section of The West Link Project in Gothenburg, Sweden.