Today, the Danish Parliament will vote on a new motorway connection over Egholm in Northern Jutland, a decision that has been long-awaited and has faced significant opposition from various fronts. The new Limfjord connection is expected to be approved by a broad majority, despite warnings from experts and environmental organizations about the economic and environmental consequences. Mogens Fosgerau, a professor of transport economics at the University of Copenhagen, has been a prominent critic of the project. He points out that the socio-economic benefit of the connection is minimal, and at worst, it could turn out to be an economic burden. “Based on our analysis, the socio-economics are close to zero. This is below what is typically accepted for this type of project,” says Fosgerau.
In addition to the economic concerns, there are also serious environmental implications of building a motorway over Egholm. The island’s nature will be affected, leading to increased air pollution and noise. “There is an environmental cost to placing a motorway over an island,” emphasizes Fosgerau. The expected CO2 emissions from the construction phase have also turned out to be significantly higher than initially estimated. While the original forecast was 263,000 tons of CO2, new calculations show that emissions will reach 480,000 tons, an increase of 83 percent.
This substantial increase in CO2 emissions has led the party De Radikale to withdraw their support for the project, even though they were initially part of the infrastructure agreement from 2021. The purpose of the connection is to relieve traffic in Northern Jutland and reduce travel time for motorists, but the environmental and economic costs have raised doubts about the project’s sustainability.
However, Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen defends the project and denies that sufficient studies have not been conducted on the consequences. “It is a very thorough and well-illuminated project that we are making a final decision on,” he states to TV 2 News. The decision on the new Limfjord connection stands as a central example of the dilemmas that can arise when large infrastructure projects need to balance economic benefits and environmental considerations.