The announcement came on Wednesday last week, and for Marianne Viklund and her partner and two children, the bridge closure and the diversion of traffic means that they have a lot of extra time in the car to get back and forth to Storuman.
The short way over the bridge is 4.5 miles and the long way to get around without driving over the bridge is 8 miles one way.
Borrowing two extra cars
They have instead solved it temporarily by borrowing two extra cars which they have lined up on either side of the bridge. They cross the bridge and then take the normal route.
Marianne fears that they may have to move if the bridge continues to be closed, which makes the children sad.
– My children are the fifth generation to grow up in this house, it’s not just about leaving, says a noticeably touched Marianne Viklund.
Unclear who is responsible
Vattenfall built the bridge a long time ago, while Sveaskog was the road operator until recently. According to Vattenfall, it is currently unclear who has the main responsibility, but while waiting for a report to be completed on the condition, they have decided to close the bridge for safety reasons.
– We act because we have built it and put safety first. In the best of worlds, we will start passenger car traffic soon, that would be the best for everyone, says Tord Eriksson, production manager at Vattenfall.
Sveaskog writes in a comment that they have had a dialogue since 2022 with Vattenfall and that they have repeatedly stated that the bridge may be forced to close. They also write that it is “regrettable that the residents are negatively affected”.