Statens vegvesen, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, has been made aware that plastic clips have been found on a beach in the Haugesund area. Statens vegvesen will now identify whether these come from the filling areas to Rogfast.

Rogfast becomes the world's longest and deepest subsea road tunnel. 54 kilometers of tunnel will be blown out, which generates approximately 9 million cubic rock mass. It is used to create a total of about 250 acres of new land. The development areas are located on Mekjarvik, Kvitsøy, Karmsundet and Førresvik, and there are other new areas under regulation. Unlike previous tunnel work, electronic lighters are used at Rogfast during blasting of ointments. When the wires are connected on the tunnel wall, these are connected by means of plastic coupling clips. During test filling of masses in the sea, small quantities of remnants of coupling clips were found and collected.

In connection with the application process of the state manager to get the completion permits approved, we conducted a test to see if any of the plastic used during blasting floated up to the sea surface. The test showed that using the tunnel masses to establish new land areas would not lead to large amounts of plastic pollution, which could have been using traditional pyrotechnic lighters. The fact that we have been found on land on land. And we have now implemented a survey and clearing around all the filling areas, to investigate whether the test was representative of the fillings that are currently underway to a large extent. During the survey, we will clear what we find and after that the measures needed to collect plastic residues and the clips continuously, says project manager Oddvar Kaarmo, who adds that the state manager has been notified.

https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/18014769/kartlegger-plastklips%3FpublisherId%3D17847490%26lang%3Dno