The very dangerous road between Haninge and Nynäshamn (a port city), have been an issue for a couple of decades. The nick name for Road 73 has been The Road of Death. Many people have lost their lives here, and everyone you talk to seem to know someone who has died here. A couple of years ago construction of a new road finally started. And on Saturday the second part of the road opened for traffic. Thousands of people attended the opening ceremony that took place on the road at Överfors near Ösmo in Nynäshamn. It took eight people to declare the new road open, and you can see them all here with scissors in hand. They are:
Per Unckel, County Governor in Stockholm.
Ilija Batljan,Municipal Commissioner of Nynäshamn.
Åsa Torstensson, Minister for Transportation.
Lena Erixon, Director-general at the Swedish Road Administration.
Anders Granat, County Governor Gotland.
Christer Agerback,Managing director from the Swedish Road Administration.
Gilbert de Wendel, Municipal Commissioner in Haninge.
Ulla Hamilton, Municipal Commissioner from Stockholm City.
Before and after the speeches from all the politicians and the moderator Rikard Olsson, there was high class entertainment starting with a few songs from the well known composer Stefan Nilsson and a 200-strong choir. After that a popular circus group performed ( I will show you some photos and portraits in the coming days). They were followed onto the stage by a popular Swedish boy band, E.M.D. which got the full attention from all the young girls in the crowd. When all was said and done, guess what I did? I decided to go for a bike ride on the new road. It was a strange feeling as I was all alone on the new road. On the second photo I was going downhill and decided to shoot a Look Mom, No Hands! photo. It was still a few hours left before the road was opened for traffic, and I rode the twelve kilometre stretch to the Tungelsta junction as I wanted. Stopping here and there for photos. With a kilometre left I noticed a man walking on the road. It was a former road engineer that had got the same idea as me. This was my last ever bike ride on this road, as bicycles are not allowed here, but from now the old road will be used by slow traffic only, and that's where you will find me in the future.
13 comments:
It looks like it was quite a big deal to have such a large choir and a popular musician to sing at the opening of a new road. I hope the new road is safer.
Maybe if they sold tickets, they might have paid for the road.
Great ribbon-cutting ceremony photo! Fun to finally see Steffe Meister's world famous bike! How many kilometers on it? Sounds like a nice "joy ride" on the highway . . . you should have invited that cute accountant from a few weeks ago to joing you for a ride!
la deuxième photo est superbe, un grand moment de sentiment de liberté
Congratulations!
Interesting to see photos and read about the new road and the ceremony.
Nice to have a new and safer road!
Roads don't kill anyone. Reckless driving does...
Still, about time to have the infrastructure improved and it looks swell.
It's all about seizing the moment. You did. I still regret missing that day when the Igelsta railroad bridge was open to the public.
Seems a lot of hoopla for the opening of a road. But politicians need a chance to get out and let people see how great they are.
And, well, you know, the ribbon was probably hard to cut...
The road does look nice, though.
It's a fine road. Very environment friendly with passages for both frogs and elks!
Wonderful journalistic/artistic documentation of this event.
Steffe, if you don't get your hands back on the handle-bars you might joining that sad list.
Love that shot in particular - it looks like you were moving at the time (though it may just be badly focussed ;)), but if you were then I'd SERIOUSLY suggest you be more careful on the road!!!
What do you mean Eamon, do you think I should quit shooting these types of fun Look No Hands videos as well?
Nice set of photos, my favorite is the one without hands: it's creative and original, you makes me love that road!
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