In the dead of night, when the city sleeps, hundreds of workers are racing against the clock to pave the tunnels that will form part of the E4 Förbifart Stockholm, one of the most ambitious and costly road infrastructure projects in Swedish history.
Work is carried out exclusively during nighttime hours to minimise disruption and optimise the technical conditions of the process. Thousands of tons of asphalt are being progressively laid throughout the long tunnels that will run beneath the Stockholm metropolitan area.
An SVT team was granted access to the interior of the tunnels during the paving works, stepping onto the freshly laid surface and taking in the distinctive smell given off by the hot material — an experience that the workers themselves describe as an unmistakable sign that the project is entering its final stretch.
Förbifart Stockholm is a bypass road designed to relieve the traffic that currently congests the centre of the Swedish capital. The project, which has required years of planning and construction, includes several kilometres of underground tunnels that represent an enormous logistical and engineering challenge.
The paving of the tunnels marks a crucial phase before final testing can take place and the infrastructure — long awaited by drivers in the region — can eventually be opened to traffic.
Original source: SVT Nyheter