A collision involving a truck and a passenger car shut down the E6 just south of Vingrom church, near Lillehammer, on Saturday afternoon. The accident was reported at 14:37, according to Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen. Police have described the incident as very serious, and injuries have been reported at the scene.
Only the driver was in the passenger car at the time, police told Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen. Other Norwegian outlets, including VG, NRK, Østlendingen and Glåmdalen, also reported the closure, with VG quoting police as saying the E6 would remain shut for a long period.
Why it matters
The E6 is the main north–south artery through Gudbrandsdalen, and a closure at Vingrom affects far more than the immediate crash site. Traffic between Lillehammer and Moelv — and onward toward Oslo and Trondheim — has to be diverted onto smaller roads, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's traffic centre recommended that drivers use county road 213 between the two towns as an alternative.
The timing added to the disruption. The crash happened on a Saturday afternoon, when weekend traffic through the valley is typically heavy, and the road remained blocked at Biri Travbane in the northbound direction. Drivers heading north were being asked to turn around and take the detour, and queues built up around the scene.
What is known about the conditions
According to Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen, the road surface was dry and not slippery when the accident occurred. There was some construction traffic in the area because of ongoing work on the new E6, the outlet reported.
The cause of the collision has not been established in the reporting available. Police have not released further details about the condition of the driver or the truck's occupants beyond confirming that the car had a single occupant.
Diversions and traffic management
With the E6 blocked, drivers were being guided through Saksumdalen toward Vingnes. The traffic centre's advice to use county road 213 between Lillehammer and Moelv applied to those able to reroute before reaching the closure.
Northbound motorists who had already passed the last practical exit were told to turn around and join the diversion. Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen reported significant congestion at the site.
Emergency services and road authorities were working at the scene on Saturday afternoon. The outlet did not give an estimate for when the E6 would reopen, and VG's report that the closure would last a long time was attributed to police.
What to watch: official updates from police and the traffic centre on when the E6 reopens and on the condition of those involved.
