The transport ministry announced on Tuesday that the most heavily used section of the Valley Road, the main route between Riverton and Cedar Falls, will be completely rebuilt by the end of the year. The 14-kilometer stretch will get a new road base, fresh asphalt, wider shoulders and new drainage, at a cost of 38 million euros.
Work begins next Monday. Crews will work mostly at night, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., to keep both directions open during rush hours.
Why now
The section carries around 42,000 vehicles a day, including most freight heading from the Valley Region to the capital. Engineers say the road base, laid more than three decades ago, has reached the end of its life. Repeated patching has left uneven lanes, and the ministry counted more than 900 pothole repairs on the stretch last year alone.
We could keep patching it every spring, but that would cost more over five years than doing it properly once.
Ana Lindgren, state secretary at the transport ministry
The ministry says the rebuilt road should last at least 25 years with normal maintenance. The project also includes two new bus bays near Cedar Falls and a safer junction at the Millbrook turnoff, where residents have asked for traffic lights for years.
What drivers can expect
Overnight, one direction will be closed at a time and traffic diverted through Westmoor, adding around 15 minutes to the journey. During the day, the speed limit through the works will be reduced to 60 kilometers per hour, and two weekend full closures are planned for the final asphalt layer. Dates will be announced at least ten days in advance.
Freight operators welcomed the plan but warned about delays. “Our drivers will lose time during the works, there’s no way around it,” said Viktor Halvorsen of the national hauliers’ association. “But the current surface is damaging trucks and loads every day.”
Residents of Millbrook, the village closest to the works, will be offered noise screens near their homes. A public information session is planned in Cedar Falls next week, and the ministry has promised weekly updates on progress.
Gallery
1 / 4
Comments 0