ODENSE / KERTEMINDE: Internal emails that Fyens Stiftstidende has been granted access to, show that Odense Municipality has deliberately worked in August and September to postpone the publication of a comprehensive traffic analysis that points to a significant increase in traffic volume if the expansion of the Port of Odense is implemented. The analysis concludes, among other things, that an expansion of the road between Odense and Kerteminde to four lanes is necessary to handle future traffic - a project that will cost billions.
At the same time, emails show that the municipality tried to limit the press's access to the material and coordinate a joint communication strategy with Kerteminde Municipality. The plan was that the report would not be published until after the municipal elections in November. However, City Director Eik Møller rejects the criticism and believes that the emails have been taken out of context.
- You have to take it in the context in which it is taking place, while we are in the process of preparing the mobility analysis, we have had an analysis done in Odense in 2024, called 360 degrees. It also mentions Kertemindevej, so there is nothing new in this situation in Odense. Our assessment is that it is best to have the opportunity and time for administrative processing before we go ahead with it, because it can give a better overall picture of what the task and priorities are in Odense Municipality. It is not about keeping anything secret, so I think you will read that about waiting until after the election, which is more than it is, he tells the media.
Not the first time
It is not the first time that a report on the port expansion has been the subject of public debate. As late as this summer, the Port of Odense had a report prepared by the consultancy firm Kraka Economics. The work, which took a year, was published in August. One was a needs analysis, the other a sustainability analysis, which among other things describes the consequences for the marine environment.
It prompted Thyge Nygaard, senior advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, among others, to participate in the debate:
- The fjord is already in really bad shape, and on top of that, they want to make the expansion in the place where it is in the best shape after all. It is particularly problematic that they want to make a new shipping channel, which will risk completely ruining the fjord for many years to come due to sediment spillage. I fear that the fjord will collapse, he told DR.
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