County Road 51 Closure Warning: Stay Safe During Bad Weather

Recently, plow drivers plowing county road 51 above Valdresflye encountered several pedestrians and cyclists, even though the road is closed due to bad weather.

Now the county council is warning that when roads are closed due to storms or the risk of landslides, they are also closed to soft road users.

Poor visibility

– Even if the road is closed to car traffic, cranes and wheel loaders with cutters may be working there. The operating contractor will be plowing as long as possible until the road can be reopened quickly. Visibility can be poor while the road is being plowed, and it is difficult for the driver to see people on the road, says Innlandet County Municipality construction manager Håvard Ødegård in a press release.

County Road 51 above Valdresflye is closed in the evening and at night at this time of year and may remain so during the day, due to storms or the risk of landslides.

– It is important that people do not pass the barriers when the road is closed, regardless of the reason for the closure. When the road is closed, it is dangerous to travel there. This applies to all road users, says Ødegård.

Avalanche risk and plowing

After the county road over Valdresflye opened at Easter, it has been closed several times due to strong winds and drifts of snow. That’s not unusual at this time of year.

The section between Garli and Bygdin has also been closed due to the bad weather. This stretch is particularly prone to pedestrians walking on the road, even if the road is closed.

– They probably don’t think that a plow truck can come at high speed around a bend. The tow truck driver assumes that there are no road users on the road while it is closed. When the road is closed due to the risk of avalanches, it does not mean that it is dangerous to travel there for road users, says Ødegård.

Ødegård’s advice to anyone planning to travel on the mountain passes is to check the traffic reports from the Norwegian Road Administration.

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