The former Norwegian main airport (at Fornebu) will become a residential and commercial area with large green areas and nature reserves. Strict requirements are set for remediation of the polluted soil. Directorate of Public Construction and Property (Statsbygg) is responsible for the remediation.

The main clean-up has been carried out during a 4-year project, starting in year 2000 and completed in year 2003. After treatment, the former contaminated soil was used for landscaping in accordance with the overall plan for soil management. Reuse of treated soil (together with asphalt and concrete) is one of the main environmental objectives for the development of the Fornebu area.

One of the biggest challenges at Fornebu was to work out how to deal with asphalt and sub-base contaminated with tar (PAH) under the oldest runways. The area involved was up to 200,000 m², and the contamination was very unevenly distributed. In the most contaminated areas PAH from the sub-base had penetrated 2–4 cm into the overlying asphalt.

20.000 tonnes of PAH-contaminated soil was stabilised with 3% bitumen in a stabilisation plant using a cold mix process. The prduct was then used as foundation for a new road at Fornebu. This PAH-contaminated material would normally have been transported to a hazardous waste disposal facility, at more than the triple costs. In addition to the stabilised material, 80.000 tons of PAH-contaminated soil was also re-used in the same foundation without stabilisation. Another 60 000 m³ has later been used for road construction and appr. 80 000 m3 has been used in construction of new terrain, without stabilisation.

Of more than 200 000 m³ PAH contaminated mass, not more than 15 000 m³ had to be disposed off as hazardous waste.