6% of state roads in Västerbotten were in very poor condition, according to Transportföretagen. This time, road drums have also been surveyed, and every fourth is assessed to have deficiencies, a result among the worst in the country, officials reported. Anders Josephsson, a business policy expert at Transportföretagen, warned that such conditions can lead to increased transport costs, longer travel times, and in extreme cases increased insurance costs for members.
According to SVT Nyheter, Johnaz Bäckman described the roads as like a bumpy track. The Swedish Transport Administration admits there is a large maintenance need, with a backlog in the entire country of 35 billion kronor, the agency said. Peter Jonsson, a press communicator at the agency, noted that they are now investing historic sums in the coming years, though this does not mean they can rebuild every drum, but it is a huge amount of money that will now be spent on maintenance in the four northernmost counties.
It is like a bumpy track.
The Riksdag has allocated more money, officials said, and the Swedish Transport Administration expects that this means 500 miles of road will get new surfacing starting from 2025. However, the Swedish Transport Administration does not want to comment on the survey, according to officials. Specific measures to address the poor road conditions in Västerbotten and how the allocated funds will be distributed among the four northernmost counties remain unclear, as do the exact criteria for classifying a road as 'very poor' or a drum as having 'deficiencies'.