The two main roads around Østre Halsen Primary School, as well as the district’s water and sewage system, will undergo major changes in the coming years.
– We will, as far as possible, carry out the project with the least possible inconvenience to those who live here. Hence it is important to remember that it will be great when it is all over. Not least, it’s safer than traffic along School Road, says Municipal Engineering Business Director Tore Stavney.
Standing in Iver Hesselbergsvei together with Project Manager Dler Jaf and Department Director for Projects in Municipal Engineering, Bodo Werner Havelberg.
This street is towards Hølen and Saltbrygga, and it is here that much of the work will be done in the first year of the project. Next up, Halsegata, across from the elementary school, is your turn.
But the first to happen happens at the pump house in Hølen, which is also the largest pumping station in Larvik.
1st at a time
Here the so-called control foam will be built. Work will begin on this in the spring. The control basin will be an auxiliary building for the pumping station itself, which will facilitate the operation personnel to control the two main lines that enter here.
Today, both sewage and part rainwater run in the same line, this will now be separated.
In parallel with one team working to build the new control basin, another team will start building lines at Oterøyveien, further from Iver Hesselbergsvei and all the way to Gonveien.
– When all this is done, and the road paved and opened, we shall begin with Halcigata, says Jaffe.
The plan is to maintain access to the property and primary school as much as possible, or to find good parking alternatives for those who lose access for short periods. Halsegata will be opened while works continue in Iver Hesselbergsvei.
Long term project
It is estimated that work on the Steering Basin and Iver Hesselbergsvei will take about one year. The same applies to Halsegata.
– I have allocated 2.5 years for this project. What will happen in the past six months?
– We lower the last layer and clean it, and then we have the street lighting and all the signs. Jaffe says traffic management will be different in the entire region.
More safety in traffic
The last point is an essential part of the project:
In Iver Hesselbergsvei there will be sidewalks on both sides of the road, whereas today there is only sidewalks on one side.
Two roundabouts will also be constructed in the immediate vicinity of the primary school.
– One of them will involve moving the sidewalk a little to the school yard, which in turn means that we will take part of the basketball court to the school.
– We’ll build the next roundabout at the next junction, at Hølensgate, says Jaffe.
– It will be better than it is now. Stavney says there is a need to increase traffic safety around the school.
The first roundabout is for buses and cars that use the nearest “drop off place” for school pupils, and the second is for cars that drop children off in the area between the two roundabouts.
– Today, the traffic here is a bit sloppy. We want everyone who drives to school to use Gonveien and then to Iver Hesselbergsvei. To make it easier, we then make a circular route, so that those who drop off children can turn around here. The same goes for the school bus, which turns around and goes to Gonveien again, instead of going out to Halsegata, says Dler Jaf.
The road would not be narrower than it is today, but with sidewalks on either side it could be considered narrower.
– it will slow down automatically, says Tore Stafney.
Halsegata is tightened
Halsegata across from the school is in shaky condition, with many bumps, cuts and cracks in the asphalt.
– This street has been on the asphalt plan for a long time, but it was postponed because of this project. Halsegata is secured with a high pavement and narrows down to a single track in three different places. Stavney says there will be a major modernization of the area.
Residents of the area directly affected by the project, who have been ordered to separate the drainage, will receive a separate letter. Those who are “only” affected by traffic do not receive messages.
Before starting, the municipality will also organize a public meeting for anyone who wants more information.
Project Manager Jaffe also wants to make it easier for residents who want a personal conversation about what’s going on in their local area to have the opportunity to do so. An “open room” is planned at the construction site, which will be put into operation at certain times.
– There are many different processes here, and there will be big construction machines, so naturally people will be interested in what is going on. Jaffe says this will continue for two and a half years.
Major water and sanitation project
He reports that the project in Hälsen is the third phase, called Bommestad/Hølen, of a larger water and wastewater project in Larvik municipality.
– We start from Bommestad and go down to the pumping station that pumps to the treatment plant in Lillevik. The project started in 2014. We have built the first phase, Torsvang. We built the second phase, which is a large pumping station in Farrett. The third stage is this.
– We are now building the fourth stage on Elveveien, the fifth stage from Gonveien to Skreppestad is under planning, and the sixth stage from Skreppestad to Hegdal. Then we were done, Jaffe says.
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