Measures against Monotony and Phobia in the 24.5 km long Laerdal tunnel in Norway

摘要

The Laerdal tunnel is a 24.5 km bi-directional tunnel on the E16 route between Oslo and Bergen in Norway. The single tube tunnel was opened on November 27th 2000 and is the World's longest road tunnel. When planning of the Laerdal tunnel started in 1992, there was a negative focus on the tunnel length and the safety risks involved. Reports from other long tunnels pointed at monotony as a possible safety problem and that measures should be taken to avoid accidents caused by drivers loosing their concentration or falling asleep when driving. Traffic safety and tunnel design were evaluated in a virtual model. Dividing the tunnel into four sections by means of three rock caverns turned out to be a good solution. The rock caverns in the Laerdal tunnel are painted white. The roof is illuminated with blue fluorescent tubes and yellow and green lights along the roadside illuminate the walls. The three caverns give the driver a feeling of four shorter and less boring tunnels. It is also supposed that the rock caverns have a positive effect on people suffering from tunnel phobia.