Ensuring that information given about a matter is as correct as possible is always a challenge. And it is no less of a challenge when the matter has as many facets as the work of securing the tunnels in Vestfold has. The many descriptions and comments that have been forthcoming in the past few days have ranged from absolutely correct to the exact opposite, and this is why we wish to provide some factual and specific information.

Veidekke's repair work is split into two contracts:

         Contract 1 covers the northbound bores in the Hanekleiv and Løken tunnels and has a value of NOK 65 million. The completion date for this work is 6 July 2007. This date was set by Veidekke itself when the tender was submitted. We had already carried out a smaller but similar project and had experience and knowledge of the process and the time the work would take. We used this as the basis for our tender.

         Contract 2 covers seven tunnels (the Bolstad, Hillestad, Bringaker, Botne and Brekke tunnels and the southbound bores in the Hanekleiv and Løken tunnels). The value of this contract is NOK 135 million and the work will be completed by 1 October 2007.
However, part of this contract will be finished by 6 July, so that at least one bore in each tunnel can be opened before the start of the holiday period.  In its invitation for tenders the Public Roads Administration specified completion of the first part, with the exception of the southbound bores in the Hanekleiv and Løken tunnels, on 22 June. Veidekke believed however that that was too early and specified 6 July 2007 as the completion date. This was accepted by the Public Roads Administration.

In other words, Veidekke has not been under undue pressure regarding completion, and both the costs and the required time are known to and have been accepted by the contractual parties.

 

         The different work tasks are all split up into defined work operations, which in turn are based on clearly defined prerequisites.

 

         One prerequisite that is particularly relevant to the accident concerns securing of the existing concrete elements while casting behind the elements. The Public Roads Administration and their consultant had specified that the concreting behind the elements was to be secured either by buttressing the elements from the outside or by using a concreting process which limited the pressure load.

The Public Roads Administration, their consultant and Veidekke agreed to choose continuous, controlled casting with gradual hardening of the concrete. The Public Roads Administration therefore had calculations made to define the casting rate that could be used, based on what the formwork would tolerate. Veidekke decided moreover to increase the safety margin in relation to the recommended rate by casting at a slower rate than allowed by the calculations. When the accident occurred on Monday (28 May), we were almost finished. When we reached the last of the 52 elements, the two bolts holding the element in place at the top gave way. Those bolts were used when the element was mounted during the construction of the tunnel.

Veidekke has followed the work procedure that was agreed on for casting behind the existing elements and has also taken further precautions by reducing the casting rate.

         Veidekke's tender and implementation plan were based on a shift plan with three shifts in a 12/9 day system. This system means that each employee works 12 days of 10 hours each and then has 9 days off. This is a system that has been agreed upon through negotiations between Veidekke as employer and our union representatives and it is the system that is used in most major construction projects.

We are therefore not following an extraordinary work schedule during the implementation of the project.

When looking for an explanation of why accidents and mishaps occur, we often try to find one cause, but in projects with many work processes, we sometimes have to accept the fact that the causal connection can be more complicated. We must also remember that most work processes involving people and technology entail a certain risk. The only thing we can do is to use all the available resources to prevent accidents happening. However, should an accident occur, all the parties involved have a special responsibility to help to find the reason for it and then make sure that we learn from what has happened and do everything we can to make sure it does not happen again.

For this reason we attach great importance to our health, safety and environment programmes. At Veidekke we measure the results of these programmes just as we measure our financial results.

All the parties involved in this project have shown a genuine desire to keep safety at the top and at the forefront of our priorities. All our procedures and processes contain clear descriptions of requirements regarding health, safety and environment. This is in line with the intentions of the partners and of the project.

For further information, please contact:

Executive Vice President, Communication, Kai Krüger, mobile telephone +47 90519360

Public Relations Officer Helge Dieset, mobile telephone +47 90553322

VEIDEKKE ASA

Veidekke ASA is a leading Scandinavian building contractor and property developer with 6,350 employees and an annual turnover of NOK 16.4 billion (2006). Veidekke is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. It has a wide group of shareholders and 14 % of the shares are held by the company's employees. The company's activities cover a large range of building and construction contracts, development of housing and commercial projects for private and public customers, asphalt operations and road maintenance, and collection and recycling of waste.