Possible routes for the relocated E4, previously discussed, are now set to be reevaluated once again.
The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) has started planning now that funding for the E4 via Skellefteå has been approved in the National Transport Plan. The task has been assigned to a consultant and the procurement process has now been completed. The contract is valued at 130 million kronor and includes approximately 135,000 hours of study work.
Tyréns, the company awarded the contract, expects the project to involve around 50 employees over several years.
– It involves all of Tyréns' business areas throughout the country, but mainly employees in the offices along the Norrland coast, including Skellefteå," says business manager, Patrik Kjellgren.
The contract involves carrying out a site survey in 2024, and once the site has been selected, road planning will take place between 2025 and 2027. Environmental assessments will also be carried out, all the necessary permits will be obtained and negotiations for land acquisition will take place.
Kjellgren says the work will start immediately, and a first meeting has already taken place.
– We will review the study carried out a decade ago, which identified four corridors. But we will also see if there are any new solutions, he says.
– Of course, we will take into account everything that has happened in Skellefteå since the last study.
Pia Törrö, project manager at Trafikverket, notes that they always hire consultants to draw up plans.
–This assignment is particularly important because it includes a site survey. When roads are rerouted, there is often a fairly clear line as to where they should be moved. In the Skellefteå area there are an unusually large number of alternative routes, says Törrö.
She emphasises that although consultants are involved, it is Trafikverket that makes the important decisions, such as where the road will be placed.
– It is good that we can start now, and the public will be invited to give their opinion this year, adds Törrö.
The construction of the bypass is expected to commence in 2029.
Patrik Kjellgren, business manager at Tyréns, and Pia Törrö, project manager at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket).