Done with new contractor for the E4 construction outside Ljungby

The contract, which includes both a fixed and a variable part, is estimated to be worth between SEK 150-200 million.

Svevia has previously been a subcontractor to Barslund, among other things when working on new paving, but will now complete the project in its entirety.

How much is left to do?

- Barslund completed its work to approximately two thirds, which means that there remains approximately one third of the total project, says Mattias Eriksson, project manager at the Swedish Transport Administration.

Severely delayed project

Road construction has been completely stagnant since November last year, when the contractor Barslund unexpectedly went bankrupt.

But Mattias Eriksson thinks that the authority has resolved the situation quickly given the circumstances.

Among other things, a special procurement procedure has been used to speed up the process of finding a new contractor.

- Priority has been given to starting up the work as soon as possible in view of the current situation.

We have largely semi-finished parts on the E4 which means major disruptions to traffic, he says.

The project will now be started again, but with a severely delayed end time.

The idea was to be ready in the autumn / winter of 2022. Now the goal for the end of the project will instead be the autumn of 2023.

Can claim damages

It is clear that the bankruptcy entailed additional costs for the Swedish Transport Administration, but how much is "impossible to say" according to Mattias Eriksson.

A dialogue is currently underway between the Swedish Transport Administration and the bankruptcy trustee, where both parties have announced that they may have financial claims.

Will the Swedish Transport Administration claim damages from Barslund?

- It may be relevant, but I can not comment now if it will be so.

New agreements with subcontractors

The bankruptcy has hit many local subcontractors in Ljungby hard who have not been paid by Barslund and have not been able to fulfill contracts they signed.

Svevia, which is now taking over, says that they will sign completely new contracts with subcontractors and will not give any sour cream to those who have had the contracts before:

- We sign new agreements, the agreements they have with Barslund are something completely different.

In that work, we will see what is best for the project, but of course see which contractors have knowledge and can help based on previous experience, says Per Höglund, Division Manager Construction Svevia.

Construction is expected to resume in about a week.