Johnsen takes on the role of project manager in NCA's project organization, directly under the project owner, Director General Einar Vik Arset.
– We are at a stage where we need to strengthen our organization before the upcoming tender round and following construction start. With Harald Johnsen and the access to other resources from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, we have gained significant expertise in tunnels and tenders, which will complement the NCA's own resources and benefit the Stad ship tunnel project, says Director General Arset.
Available capacity as project Møreaksen was put on hold
The E39 Vik-Molde project was fully planned and was awaiting the green light to start construction. Instead, the project was put on hold when the Norwegian Parliament approved the National Transport Plan 2025-2036 in June.
– It was a great disappointment, admits the experienced tunnel builder.
Now, Johnsen will use his 35 years of tunnel and project experience from the NPRA to build the world’s first ship tunnel. Before that, the Norwegian Coastal Administration will select a contractor.
State collaboration
– The NCA’s project organization has done a good job with planning and preparing for the tender announcement. Now we are expanding the project organization, and together we are putting all our efforts into making the final touches on the tender documents and the process ahead to select the best contractor to build the ship tunnel, says Johnsen.
He receives support from Director General Einar Vik Arset.
– Together with the NCA’s project staff and the extensive expertise we have in our agency, the collaboration with the NPRA will ensure that we have sufficient competence and capacity to execute the ship tunnel project, says Arset.
Experienced people
Johnsen is also bringing another engineering geologist from the NPRA to the ship tunnel project. Arild Gjerde has worked with Johnsen on projects at the NPRA since 2008. Gjerde was initially intended to be the project manager for the 15-kilometer-long twin-tube tunnel under Romsdalsfjorden. Previously, he managed the tunnel section of the new E6 in Soknedal, which opened in 2020.
He will now be one of two project managers for the ship tunnel.
The NPRA is lending parts of the team that worked on Møreaksen. These will be incorporated into the NCA’s project organization. From their site office in Lade, Trondheim, Johnsen’s team has worked on one of the world’s longest subsea tunnels and Northern Europe’s longest suspension bridge.
Johnsen will also bring along professional support from two of Norway’s leading geology experts: Anders Beitnes and Bjørn Nilsen. They have previously been part of an expert group for the subsea Romsdalsfjord tunnel.
Contracts and market
The Stad ship tunnel project will use well-established methods to select the best contractor to build the tunnel. With support from procurement experts at the NPRA, the project management will lead the process of selecting the right contractor. Cowi is involved as consulting engineers.
The NCA plans to conduct a competitive tender, where three to five contractors will proceed after the prequalification stage. However, Johnsen keeps the door open for selecting a contractor after the initial clarification meetings with participants and the first price offers. Therefore, it will be crucial for the contractors participating in the competition to submit focused and strong offers right away.
Tender conference before Christmas
There will be a tender conference before Christmas. The goal is to select a contractor by the summer/fall of 2025. This depends on receiving bids within the project’s budget.
What will be the biggest challenge in building the ship tunnel?
– The size of the tunnel openings. They will be as large as the tunnel space itself, 50 meters high and around 40 meters wide. That’s about seven times higher than a road tunnel, says Johnsen.