During the next three years Drammen will spend 81,25 million Euro ( 650 million NOK ) on vitalizing the Strømsø neighbourhood south of the river. This was decided in the Drammen City Council thid week.

The plans for Strømsø 2007 - 2010 include:
• Routing the traffic out of the centre
• Building a leisure pool centre
• Modernising the football and sports arena "Marienlyst"
• Building one new school and rebuilding another
• Making an attractive public space and pedestrians' area around the Railway station
• Building a boardwalk along the river with access from the City Bridge
• Building the new and specially designed pedestrian bridge "Ypsilon".

Strømsø already has a cluster of education and culture facilities, both in use and under construction. Union Scene - The Drammen Centre of International Culture is already there, "Papirbredden", the new centre of higher education and the new library is to be opened for the students in January. (The official opening will take place on March 2nd.)

The new flats- some of them quite exclusive- that have been built along the Strømsø side of the river the last couple of years have been easy to sell, and the first new shops and restaurants have already become a part of  the neighbourhood. No doubt  Strømsø will be a really hot part of  Drammen in the near  future.

After the cleansing of the Drammen river in 1995, Bragernes on the north side has alredy been favoured with the the tunnel routing the heavy traffic out of the city centre, the renewal of Bragernes market place, and the lay out and construction of the Riverside park areas. This has made the centre of Drammen attractive to live in, etablishing businesses and spend time leisure time in.

Now the time has come for Strømsø!

Mia Brambani