Oslo Package 1
Encyclopedia
Oslo Package 1 was a political agreement and plan for introducing an urban toll ring
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

 around Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, and making 31 investments to road infrastructure in Oslo and Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...

. The package was approved in 1988, and toll charges were introduced in 1990. It was supplemented by Oslo Package 2
Oslo Package 2
The Oslo Package 2 or O2 is a political agreement for financing investments in public transport in Oslo and Akershus, Norway. The program runs from 2001 to 2011, and includes many large and small investments in railways, the Oslo Tramway, the Oslo Metro and infrastructure for buses. Total budget is...

, which included a similar scheme for public transport. In 2008, they were both replaced by Oslo Package 3.

The entire plan involved investments of in contemporary value, inflation adjusted to NOK 19.4 billion 2008-NOKs. Of these, NOK 4.8 were state grants, while NOK 6.2 billion was revenue from the toll roads. NOK 3.9 billion was invested in Akershus, while 7.1 billion was invested in Oslo. The company Fjellinjen
Fjellinjen
Fjellinjen AS is a municipal company owned by the City of Oslo and Akershus County Municipality . It is responsible for the collection from the toll ring around Oslo, with a total of nineteen toll plazas.-History:...

 was created to manage the toll collection.

History

During the 1970s, car traffic in Oslo greatly increased, and there was a political desire to speed up investments in motorways and tunnels in the city. This would allow increased capacity, and at the same time reduce the amount of traffic in the city streets. In particular, Rådhusgata, The City Hall Square
The City Hall Square, Oslo
Rådhusplassen is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area...

 and the areas around them were congested, and hindered people from accessing the fjord. During the 1980s, the politic environment shifted towards reduced public spending. In 1982, Minister of Transport
Minister of Transport and Communications (Norway)
The Minister of Transport and Communications is a Councillor of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. Since 20 October 2009, the position has been held by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa of the Centre Party...

, Inger Koppernæs
Inger Koppernæs
Inger Koppernæs was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was Minister of Transport and Communications 1981-1983.-References:...

 from the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...

, promised increased government grants to local authorities that introduced toll roads.

The first project was to build the Festning Tunnel
Festning Tunnel
The Festning Tunnel is a motorway tunnel on European Route E18 in the city center of Oslo, Norway. The tunnel has two tubes, with three lanes in each. It runs from Bjørvika, under Akershus Fortress, The City Hall Square and Vika to Filipstad. The tunnel is and elevation at the deepest.The tunnel...

, that would, along with the intersection at Vestbanen, allow The City Hall Square to become car free. In 1986, both the city council in Oslo and Akershus County Council
Akershus county municipality
Akershus County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Akershus, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 35 upper secondary schools...

 set demands for a new toll ring scheme, requiring that the state grant extra funding equal to the toll charges: the krone for krone principle. This was similar to what had been agreed upon in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

. A report was made by the Second cabinet Willoch
Second cabinet Willoch
Willoch's Second Cabinet was a majority, Conservative/Centre/Christian Democrat Government of Norway. It succeeded the Conservative First cabinet Willoch in mid-term to secure a majority, right-winged government, and sat from 8 June 1983 to 8 May 1986...

, where the initial project, Fjellinjen, was to receive an annual grant of NOK 230 million. While there was local resistance, the plan was popular in parliament.

In 1987, Oslo and Akershus were in agreement about the placement of the eighteen toll plazas. The ring would be located within Oslo, and there was more resistance in Oslo than in Akershus. To increase support in Oslo, 20% of the funds were to go to public transport. A committee with representatives from Oslo, Akershus, the state and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Norwegian Public Roads Administration
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the state and county public roads in the country. This includes planning, construction and operation of the state and county road networks, driver training and licensing, vehicle inspection and subsidies to...

 was created, while the planning became the responsibility of the Public Roads Administration. 70% of the investments would be used in Oslo. There were three plan periods from 1990 to 2001, and additional plans for the period until 2005 were also made. Estimates showed NOK 8.1 billion in investments in 1990–2001. The project was finally approved by parliament on 10 June 1988. The goals of the project were to increase capacity by 30–50%, and to avoid increased congestion by building from the city center outwards. Without the package the investments would have taken about 30 years.

The company Fjellinjen was founded on 13 February 1986 by the Municipality of Oslo, to secure financing for the Festning Tunnel. With the 1988 decision, the company was also given the responsibility to finance the rest of the toll ring. As a result, Akershus bought 40% of the company in 1990.

Oslo Package 2

In 1996, the work to create a similar package for public transport was started. In particular, the Asker Line and Follo Line railways, the Ring Line and some extensions to the Oslo T-bane
Oslo T-bane
The Oslo Metro is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Oslo T-banedrift on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of six lines that all run through the city centre, with a total length of . It has a daily ridership of 268,000 with 105 stations of which 16...

, and improvements to the infrastructure for buses and trams were included. The goal was to create sufficient funding for the project, which without additional funding would take 25 years to finance, so that it could be done in 10 years. The package was passed by parliament in 2000, and would insure NOK 15.6 billion in funding. In addition to public grants, each ticket in the public transport system would contribute NOK 0.75, plus a NOK 2 increase for each passing of the toll ring.

Oslo Package 3

Following the termination of Oslo Package 1 in 2008, a new political compromise was created for another twenty years of investments: Oslo Package 3. It includes both investment money for road, rail and bus infrastructure, as well as money for operating public transport. The total budget is NOK 58 billion. It was passed by parliament on 13 March 2008.

Projects

The main objective of the package was to move road traffic to the ring roads, reducing the amount of traffic in the city center and freeing up capacity in the main arteries. In the 1990s, a number of tunnels were built, and the ring roads improved. During the 2000s the focus was moved towards the arteries.

Oslo

European Route E18 through the city centre received much of the initial investments, with the Festning Tunnel
Festning Tunnel
The Festning Tunnel is a motorway tunnel on European Route E18 in the city center of Oslo, Norway. The tunnel has two tubes, with three lanes in each. It runs from Bjørvika, under Akershus Fortress, The City Hall Square and Vika to Filipstad. The tunnel is and elevation at the deepest.The tunnel...

 opening in 1990 and the Vestbane Intersection in 1994. The City Hall Square was subsequently closed to cars. Also in the city centre were upgrades to National Road 162 in 1990–91, that included the Vaterland Tunnel. A new intersection for National Road 4
Norwegian National Road 4
Riksvei 4 is a national road which is the main route north from Oslo, Norway. The road runs through Nittedal, Hadeland and Toten to Mjøsa....

 was also built at Hausmannsgate.

Ring 3 received funding for the Granfoss Tunnel
Granfoss Tunnel
The Granfoss Tunnel are two tunnels on Ring 3 in Oslo, Norway. The tunnels are 2.1 km long and they are part of the Granfoss Line, a 2.9 km stretch of motorway which was opened in 1992 connecting Ring 3 with the European route E18. The name comes from the Granfossen waterfall on the Lysakerelva...

 (1992), upgrades from Sinsen
Sinsen
Sinsen is a mixed residential and commercial area in Grünerløkka borough of Oslo, Norway. The westernmost part of Sinsen is part of the borough Nordre Aker....

 to Storo
Storo, Norway
Storo is a neighborhood in the borough of Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway. It is located east of Nydalen, south-west of Grefsen and north of Sandaker. In addition to block housing, it hosts the Storo Storsenter shopping center. There are also many car dealerships in the area...

 (1994), as well as an intersection at Blindern
Blindern
Blindern is the main campus of the University of Oslo, located in Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway.-The campus:Most of the departments of the University of Oslo are located at Blindern; other, smaller campuses include Sentrum , Gaustad , St...

 (1993) and the Norwegian Radium Hospital (1997), and upgrades to the section from Tåsen
Tåsen
Tåsen is a neigboorhood of Oslo, Norway, aprox. four north of the city centre. The name origins from the norse name Tásvin. The station Tåsen serves the area.-References:*...

 to Ullevål (including the Tåsen Tunnel, 1999). National Road 190, that connects the E6 and E18, also received new upgrades, including the Teisen
Teisen
Teisen is a neighborhood in the borough of Alna in Oslo, Norway.It was a residential area in the 19th century, but from the 1950s it was built up with apartment blocks....

 Intersection (with E6 in 1990) the Ekeberg Tunnel (1995). The European Route E6 received grants for the Ryen
Ryen
Ryen is a neighborhood in the borough Østensjø in Oslo, Norway. It is located north of the border to the borough Nordstrand.The area is served by the station Ryen of the Oslo T-bane. The eastern depot of the rapid transit system is located at Ryen. Until 1967, it was also served by Simensbråten of...

 Intersection (1997), the Skullerud Intersection (1998), the Svartdal Tunnel (2000) and the Galgeberg Connection (2001).

Akershus

The E6 was upgraded between Vinterbro
Vinterbro
Vinterbro is a village in Ås, Norway. It has 2,800 residents in the subdivisions Togrenda and Sjøskogen. The area features a primary school and four kindergartens....

 and Vassum in 1993. E18 received a new intersection at Lysaker
Lysaker
Lysaker is a section of and a postal code area of the Norwegian municipality of Bærum, just west of Oslo.Geographically, it is bordered by Lysakerelven on the east, which also forms the border to Oslo; Fornebu to the south; Stabekk to the west; and Jar to the north...

 and a connection to the European Route E16
European route E16
European route E 16 is the designation of a main west-east road through Northern Ireland, Scotland and Norway, from Derry to Oslo, via Glasgow, Edinburgh, previously by ferry to Bergen, Voss, through the Gudvanga Tunnel, Lærdal, through the Lærdal Tunnel, over Filefjell to Fagernes, Hønefoss,...

 at Sandvika
Sandvika
is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a city by the municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003.Sandvika is situated approximately west of Oslo. It is the main transportation hub for Western Bærum, and has a combined bus and railway station. Sandvika is...

, including the Kjørbo Tunnel
Kjørbo Tunnel
The Kjørbo Tunnel is the name of a road tunnel that runs through the hill Kjørbokollen west of Sandvika in Norway. It forms a part of the European route E16, the route branching off of the European route E18 immediately after the tunnel's southern entrance. It was opened in 1991, and was financed...

 (both 1993). The following year, the Bekkestua Tunnel
Bekkestua Tunnel
The Bekkestua Tunnel is a road tunnel that runs under Bekkestua in Bærum, Norway. It forms a part of the Norwegian National Road 160, starts northeast of Bekkestua to ease this population and commercial centre of heavy traffic, and emerges in the southwest near Gjønnes Station. It was opened in...

 opened on National Road 160. Norwegian National Road 4 received new section from Skøyen to Slattum in 1993, and from Gjelleråsen
Gjelleråsen
Gjelleråsen is the name of an area between Oslo, Skedsmo and Nittedal.The area is bordered by to the west, Skedsmo to the east, and Nittedal to the north...

 to Slattum in 2003. National Road 159
Norwegian National Road 159
Riksvei 159 is a four-laned motorway between Karihaugen in Oslo and Lillestrøm in Skedsmo. The road is 11.4 km, of which 1.7 km is in Oslo and 9.7 km is in Akershus....

 was upgraded between Knatten and Lørdagsrud in 1997, and from Lørdagsrud to National Road 22
Norwegian National Road 22
Riksvei 22 runs between Hvam in Skedsmo and Kirkelund in Rakkestad, Halden. The road is 78.2 km, of which 35.8 km is in Akershus and 42.4 km in Østfold....

 the following year. The same road got a bypass past Strømmen
Strømmen
Strømmen is a town in Skedsmo, Akershus, Norway. It is about twenty kilometers east of Oslo, and considered part of Greater Oslo. It has around 8,000 residents....

in 2003.
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