No Promises to Accelerate Construction of New Bridge Near the Norwegian-Russian Border

In December 2025, Strømmen Bridge in Sør-Varanger, Finnmark, was reduced to one-way traffic and regulated by traffic lights after the Norwegian Public Roads Administration found damage to the edges of the bridge deck.

The bridge is the only connection between Kirkenes and Høybuktmoen, where the airport and the headquarters of the GSV Ranger Battalion are located. As such, it is the lifeline between the town near the border with Russia and the rest of Norway.

In the Norwegian National Transport Plan (NTP) 2025–2036, construction of a new road and bridge along the E6 Høybukta–Hesseng route has been scheduled for the second six-year period. The timeline has not since been shortened by the government, which recently presented its proposed 2027 national budget without funding for the project.

During her visit to Finnmark on Monday, Minister of Transport Kamzy Gunaratnam (Labor) visited the bridge, but made no promises to expedite either its repair or replacement.

 "I am well aware of the challenges associated with the bridge, and received valuable input from elected representatives and residents when I visited Kirkenes. Work has been initiated to plan repairs to the damage that has been identified, so that the bridge can once again be opened to normal traffic. I am awaiting an update from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration on the start of the work," says Gunaratnam in an email to High North News.

"Ridiculous"

"As regards the work on a new bridge, this is prioritised in the National Transport Plan 2025–2036, as part of the E6 Høybukta–Hesseng project. Zoning plan work is still under way. Funds for starting the project will be considered in future national budgets," the minister continues.

Finnmark County Mayor Hans-Jacob Bønå (Conservative) reacts to the government not allocating funds for the bridge in next year's budget.

"One can imagine an acute situation in Finnmark, with the population having to be evacuated from Kirkenes. At the same time, the Armed Forces at Høybuktmoen need to bring equipment into Kirkenes, such as tanks," he tells Sør-Varanger Avis, and continues:

"Then they meet on the bridge, and have to stand there waiting for the traffic lights. It is ridiculous."

"A national responsibility"

Bønå has the backing of the Finnmark County Council, which unanimously resolved in January that the government must immediately secure the necessary funds to upgrade and replace Strømmen Bridge.

"The situation at the bridge has developed into a critical obstacle to emergency preparedness, public safety and the normal flow of traffic. When Norway's only access route to and from the Kirkenes Peninsula is reduced in capacity, the functioning and safety of the entire region are weakened," reads the resolution

"This is a situation the state cannot allow to persist for years while the project remains hidden away in the latter half of the National Transport Plan. Sør-Varanger is Norway's strategic outpost towards Russia. Ensuring accessibility on the E6 here is not merely a matter of local politics, but a national responsibility," the resolution also states.

Proposes public-private partnership

Infrastructure and preparedness in Northern Norway were also topics at the recent Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Christina Henriksen of the Saami Council, who is from Kirkenes, asked the Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Bjørnar Skjæran (Labor) about the Strømmen Bridge and preparedness, calling for concrete solutions.

"How is the government working to ensure the safety of residents when the shelter in Sør-Varanger has not been rebuilt following last year's fire, and the only road out of the local community crosses a one-way bridge? Why is it not possible to find funding for this in the national budget? What about sharing the cost with, for example, investors in the mining industry or shipping?"

Skjæran’s response was brief:

"When it comes to questions about transport policy and the budget, I will have to leave that to my colleague," he said.