Editing Triangle Link (section)

===Political processes===
[[File:Bømlafjordtunnelen.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the [[Bømlafjord Tunnel]] from the mainland]]
Bømlo Municipal Council voted unanimously in favor of the Triangle Link on 22 February 1988.<ref name=h44 /> Two days later, the issue was discussed in Stord Municipal Council. [[Olav Akselsen]] at first proposed supporting the pontoon bridge, but after a trial vote he withdrew the proposal and also Stord supported the Triangle Link. The following week, Sveio Municipal Council voted in favor the Triangle Link, without either a debate or dissent in the council. Fitjar Municipal Council voted on 15 March to work with both proposals.<ref>Hauge: 45</ref> Hordaland Public Roads Administration still supported a pontoon bridge, and stated that two and a half years of work on a master plan had been wasted. A new master plan for the Triangle Link was published in early 1989, estimating the costs at NOK&nbsp;890 million. It recommended that the Langevåg–Buavåg Ferry remain, but the other four ferry services be terminated.<ref>Hauge: 46</ref> The report concluded that the maintenance costs of the fixed link would be lower than the subsidies of the ferry, that the project would be economical of society and would reduce emissions.<ref name=h47>Hauge: 47</ref>

During late 1989, advance tolls on the ferries were approved by the municipal councils and the county council, who recommended that collection start from 1 July 1990, but this was not immediately supported by the government.<ref name=h47 /> On 18 and 19 September 1990, the [[Standing Committee on Transport and Communications]] visited the region and looked at the proposed areas of the Triangle Link, the [[Hardanger Bridge]] and the [[Folgefonna Tunnel]]. By then it had been established that the Triangle Link would not need state grants, as it could be entirely financed with tolls. [[Tore Haugen]], [[Conservative Party (Norway)|Conservative]] parliamentarian from [[Akershus]], proposed that the project be considered independent of the regular national road plans. However, [[Lars Gunnar Lie]], [[Minister of Transport and Communications (Norway)|Minister of Transport and Communications]] from the [[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|Christian Democratic Party]], stated that he planned a single report to [[Parliament of Norway|Parliament]] for all three projects.<ref>Hauge: 48</ref>

In 1991, the master plan was appealed by the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature to the [[Ministry of Transport and Communications (Norway)|Ministry of Transport and Communications]]. The appeal was seconded by the [[Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management]]. In the 1991 municipal election, the [[Socialist Left Party (Norway)|Socialist Left Party]] was the only party which was opposed to the fixed link, and they received a large increase in votes,<ref name=h54>Hauge: 54</ref> increasing for 7 to 21 percent in Stord.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kommvalg/histtab/t-1991abs.html |title=Kommunevalget 1991. Godkjente stemmer etter parti/valgliste. Kommune. Absolutte tall |author=Statistics Norway |author-link=Statistics Norway |language=Norwegian |year=2002 |access-date=19 January 2011 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002004912/http://www.ssb.no/kommvalg/histtab/t-1991abs.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kommvalg/histtab/t-1987abs.html |title=Kommunevalget 1987. Godkjente stemmer etter parti/valgliste. Kommune. Absolutte tall |author=Statistics Norway |author-link=Statistics Norway |language=Norwegian |year=2002 |access-date=19 January 2011 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002004907/http://www.ssb.no/kommvalg/histtab/t-1987abs.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, [[Dag Hareide]] in the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature started lobbying up towards national politicians in an attempt to stop the issue in Parliament. High-profile people who were opposed to the project included [[Per Ståle Lønning]], [[Herborg Kråkevik]] and [[Kenneth Sivertsen (musician)|Kenneth Sivertsen]].<ref name=h54 />

The issue of advanced tolls was reviewed by the county council on 23 October 1991, where 64 voted in favor and 19 were opposed, the latter representing the Socialist Left Party, the [[Red Electoral Alliance]] and the [[Progress Party (Norway)|Progress Party]]. In June 1992, the county council was asked to prioritize between the Hardanger Bridge and the Triangle Link, as there would not be sufficient state grants to build both projects. Both would require between NOK&nbsp;200 and 300 million, and it would not be possible to start both projects in the period from 1994 to 1997.<ref>Hauge: 57</ref> In the council meeting on 18 June 1992, a proposal to waiver prioritization was rejected. The council then, with 44 against 30 votes, chose to prioritize the Hardanger Bridge, which received most votes from the Labour and [[Centre Party (Norway)|Centre Party]]. The Conservative Party was the only party for which all the votes were cast in favor of the Triangle Link. The Socialist Left Party's proposal to build neither received 11 votes.<ref name=h58>Hauge: 58</ref>

In July, the master plan was passed by the [[Council of State (Norway)|Council of State]].<ref name=h59>Hauge: 59</ref> On 10 December 1992, Parliament approved advanced payment of tolls on the ferry, which were made effective from 1 January 1993. Ticket prices increased with between NOK&nbsp;10 and 12. This resulted in protests from the ferry employees who stated that they would have to collect the tolls which would remove their jobs; [[Norwegian Seafarers' Union]] representatives stated that they considered suing the state.<ref name=h60>Hauge: 60</ref> Work on the development plan started in 1992. It included safety and environmental improvements which increased the project's cost by NOK&nbsp;200 million.<ref name=h60 /> In May 1994, it was made subject to consultative statements.<ref name=h59 />

Norwegian Road Plan 1994–97 was considered by Parliament during 1993. Minister of Transport and Communications, [[Kjell Opseth]] of the Labour Party, stated that he wanted to  equally prioritize the Triangle Link and the Hardanger Bridge, but that it would be unrealistic to build both in the same period.<ref name=h60 /> At a county council meeting on 21 April 1993, the council decided with 60 against 20 votes that the county would not prioritize between the two projects.<ref>Hauge: 61</ref> Opseth subsequently stated that in his opinion, the Triangle Link should be prioritized. In 1995, a report on the Coastal Highway (E39) was presented, which recommended that the Skjersholmane–Valevåg Ferry be removed.<ref name=h62>Hauge: 62</ref>

Particularly within the Labour Party there was disagreement about whether or not to build the Hardanger Bridge.<ref name=h63>Hauge: 63</ref> In addition to crossing the [[Hardangerfjord]], there were concerns that the bridge would increase the traffic through [[Hardangervidda National Park]], and that it subsequently would result in an all-year road being built with subsequent negative impact on nature and wildlife. [[Prime Minister of Norway|Prime Minister]] [[Gro Harlem Brundtland]] of the Labour Party stated on 10 October 1995 that the government was in favor of the Triangle Link and opposed to the Hardanger Bridge.<ref name=h62 />

When the standing committee visited the two projects in 1996, they were met by demonstrators in favor of the bridge in Hardanger, and demonstrators in opposition to the fixed link in Sunnhordland. In May, SBT proposed building a [[culvert]] on Digernes as a compromise for a proposal from the Labour Party and the Christian Democratic Party to consider other solution, which could have postponed the project several years. Parliament decided on 11 June 1996, with 144 against 20 votes, to build the Triangle Link. The Folgefonna Tunnel was also passed, while the Hardanger Bridge was put aside.<ref>Hauge: 64</ref>