Safety issue for Swedish tunnel

Safety concerns have been raised over air pollution levels in Stockholm's 18km tunnel bypass. Data from the Swedish Transport Agency (Trafikverket) suggests that pollution in the Stockholm Bypass project (Förbifart Stockholm) could result in 20-30 fatalities/year due to the increased risk of triggering serious breathing disorders. The data suggests that high levels of dangerous particulate matter could pose a serious risk to users of the tunnel at peak periods. The new road will be paved with concrete rathe
May 17, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Safety concerns have been raised over air pollution levels in Stockholm’s 18km tunnel bypass. Data from the 2124 Swedish Transport Agency (Trafikverket) suggests that pollution in the Stockholm Bypass project (Förbifart Stockholm) could result in 20-30 fatalities/year due to the increased risk of triggering serious breathing disorders. The data suggests that high levels of dangerous particulate matter could pose a serious risk to users of the tunnel at peak periods. The new road will be paved with concrete rather than asphalt, and dust extraction systems, increased ventilation and particle filters should be installed to improve air quality in the tunnels according to Trafikverket. Other benefits could come from cutting the use of studded tyres by 25% and lowering the speed limit to 70km/h during the winter period.
Air Quality & Weather Systems UTC

Related Content

  • March 1, 2017
    Reducing high levels of particles in tunnels
    A new study from Sweden’s National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) which aims to improve understanding of the differences between inhalable particles in highway versus railway environments has indicated that older types of trains produce more particulate emissions in railroad tunnels than do newer ones. Dust binding, improved paving and reduced studded tyre use could reduce coarse particle levels in road tunnels.
    Read More
  • April 7, 2014
    Pollution has more than one solution
    Professor Alexander Baklanov of the World Meteorological Organization talks to Colin Sowman about the difficulties of reducing urban pollution. The inhabitants of Beijing have recently been suffering pollution levels 20 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit while the European Union is revitalising its efforts to implement and enforce air quality standards. Almost inevitably much of the clean-up efforts are likely to focus on traffic planners and engineers.
    Read More
  • November 17, 2014
    Air quality tops transportation agendas
    Colin Sowman catches up on some of the latest research around outdoor pollution and looks at options available to authorities in areas of poor air quality. Iair quality hasn’t already reached the top of the agenda in transportation department meetings in your area, it probably soon will with national, trans-national and even global bodies calling for authorities to reduce pollution levels.
    Read More
  • May 26, 2020
    Road markings can be 'microplastics risk' - new report
    Sweden’s VTI and Chalmers University of Technology have catalogued the available literature
    Read More

Highlighted Content