Danebuvegen, its history and tolls

Background

The Danebu Road has probably existed since the "dawn of time". It probably began as a path, later it became a road used by animals and then became a ravine to the stables. From ancient times it was a road that mostly followed the river from where the old barrier was and up the hill. Shortly after the war, the "new" Danebu Road was built, partly by hand, from Opheimsbakken to Damtjern. And in 1947, when it was clear that the Danskehytten (Danebu) cabin was to be built, machines from the Engineering Corps at Hvalsmoen arrived to build the road from Damtjern to Danebu. At that time, the road was kept open in the winter by Danebu with a Willys jeep and a small plow. The road over the hill was not plowed until 1964. Until then, all cars had to park at Damtjern and people had to walk or use Weesel from there. But there were not that many cabins and that much traffic at that time. From the 1960s, Magne Bergli was responsible for winter maintenance on Danebuvegen. The road was kept open up the hill until Christmas, then reopened at Easter.

The boom

After the war, the road was owned/operated by the landowners, who were responsible for "maintaining the road" on their property. To earn money, the landowners paid a fee to pass the barrier, while others paid a higher fee. At first, the fee was two kroner for the part-owners and five for those who were not part-owners. After a while, the cabin owners wanted to become part-owners of the road in order to be able to drive cheaper. They could do this by buying into the road. The entrance fee was two hundred kroner, later three and finally five hundred kroner. Then the cabin owners could drive for the part-owner price. When this system was discontinued in 1997, there were 2-300 part-owners.

This system was flexible and not very controllable, there were different tariffs, there was no physical barrier pole, the barrier was on the wrong side of the road and there was little control. This led to a decrease in income, even though traffic increased, especially after the arrival of the alpine skiing facility. There was no money in the coffers, and the road was in poor condition. Therefore, in 1996 it was decided to install an automatic barrier, which went into operation on July 23, 1997. That it was a good investment is best described by the fact that the last year the old barrier was in operation, approximately NOK 280,000 was brought in, and the first full year the new barrier was in operation, approximately NOK 1.2 million was brought in.

Since the system could not handle multiple rates, the shares of all share owners were paid double the amount that had been paid, and everyone had to pay the same fee.

Who is behind it?

After the automatic barrier came on Danebuvegen Sankthans 1997, the ownership of the road was changed. Danebuvegen, (DV) is used both for the road itself and for the road on/to the road. The road is actually called; the road Opheimsbakken, Danebu, Fekjaset, but the name Danebuvegen is used. The road is about 3 km to Danebu and about 10.5 km to Fekjaset.
The change consisted of releasing those who had previously been part-owners of the road, and the road is now owned by everyone who uses the road. A board of five people has been appointed to manage the operation of the road.

Board composition and operations

The board currently consists of 5 members, the articles of association state that all must have a postal address of 2910 Aurdal. This is partly because the board members have a duty at the gate. The board has the following composition: Erik Onstad, chairman, Per Arne Dale, treasurer, Anders Espeseth, Osvald Håheim and Tor Roar Hjellebråten are board members.

Danebuvegen is operated by the board. Larger investments are decided at the annual meeting, which is held before the end of March, and where everyone can attend.

Costs for passing through the barrier / Subscription

The barrier is operated according to the same guidelines as the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the Norwegian Road Directorate, and the toll department. Rates and surcharges have been decided by the "Annual Meeting for the Road" and Nord Aurdal Municipality, cf. Road Act Chapter VII, Private Roads Section 56.

There are four ways to pass the barrier:

Valid as of 02.01.2025.

1. Pay with coins; NOK 30,- for all vehicles all year round, (2 and 4 wheel motorcycles and snowmobiles drive free).
   
   
2. Use of bank cards; Visa and Mastercard, and this service costs NOK 30,- and the card will be charged upon passage. Hold the card calmly in front of the reader until the barrier opens. (approx. 5 sec.)
   
   
3. Use of a subscription card; and all trips will then cost NOK. 25,- per pass. Recommended!
   An establishment cost of NOK 150 is additional.
   
   Note: Advance payment to bank account 6182.05.36192.
   
   Cards (subscriptions) can be ordered via treasurer Per Arne Dale, telephone +47 93 28 06 34, or via email; perdale44@gmail.com .
   
   There are currently approximately 1,800 such cards in operation, and the card can be picked up at Kiwi Aurdal by appointment.
   
   
4. Use of VIPPS; the service costs NOK 30.
   When using vipps, scan the QR code with your mobile camera and press the text "Open betaling.no in Safari" at the top of the image. You will then be taken to your vipps account for payment. The QR code is under prices on the notice board.
   
   

Prices

Additional fees

The Road Association has obtained the necessary permission from Nord-Aurdal Municipality to be able to collect tolls on the road.
This permit also includes permission to collect an additional fee of NOK 750 per crossing for those caught passing the barrier without paying the toll.

The boom is video monitored 24/7.