Sotra Link Construction is cutting roughly 100 jobs from the massive Sotrasambandet infrastructure project, reducing on-site staff from around 500 down to 400 workers, Bergensavisen reported on Tuesday. The cuts hit the multi-billion-krone highway and bridge project as activity winds down in certain sectors, though regional contractors and labor unions warn the contractions threaten a fragile local construction economy.
Workforce Reductions and Contractor Cutbacks on Sotra Link Construction
Sotra Link Construction, the company performing the building work on the new road network and bridge connecting Storavatnet in Bergen municipality to Kolltveit in Øygarden municipality, confirmed that it is actively adjusting its labor force. Pedro Manuel Rodriguez Hernandez of Sotra Link Construction told Bergensavisen that the project is finalizing specific phases, requiring a downscaling from 500 to 400 workers.
The ripple effects are already hitting subcontractors across western Norway. Sartor Drange has removed 60 workers from the project entirely, according to Managing Director Arild Bøthun, who noted that 30 of these are affiliated with the company and will be moved to other projects, while the remaining 30 subcontractors were taken off the project. Mona Løvås, regional manager for the Machine Contractors’ Association (Maskinentreprenørenes Forbund Region Vest), told BA that the situation is exceptionally grim for small and medium-sized enterprises that rely heavily on the project for steady revenue.
Mona Løvås described the situation as quite dramatic, noting that there is already far too little work in the Bergen area and expressing fear of bankruptcies if the current situation continues going forward.
Union Concerns Amid Persistent Project Delays
Labor representatives are monitoring the layoffs closely to gauge the broader damage to the construction sector. Amund Losen Moholdt, district secretary for the Norwegian Union of General Workers (Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund) affiliated with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), stated that while the full scope remains unclear, the union has received inquiries from members and fears widespread vulnerability.
These sudden staff reductions unfold against a backdrop of severe project setbacks. The Sotrasambandet initiative—comprising a 9.4-kilometer four-lane highway, four twin-tube tunnels, a roughly 900-meter four-lane bridge, and associated cycling paths—has been pushed past its original fourth-quarter 2027 opening deadline. The delays follow a prolonged contractual dispute between the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) and Sotra Link, which has previously lodged disputed financial claims totaling 7.3 billion kroner, according to BT.
Disputed Causes and Public Road Administration Stance
While industry advocates tie the downsizing directly to the ongoing financial and legal deadlock between the builder and the main contractor, project leadership offers a different timeline. Project manager Lene Sælen Rivenes of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration told BA that she received news of the adjustments the prior week and considers the headcount reduction a natural seasonal adjustment heading into the winter months.
Pedro Manuel Rodriguez Hernandez likewise maintained to BT that the multi-billion-krone project’s broader delays and disputes are separate from the current staffing adjustments. Meanwhile, public administrators and contractors remain deadlocked over outstanding compensation claims, leaving local subcontractors to absorb the immediate financial shocks while the revised completion schedule for western Norway’s transport artery hangs in the balance.
