MPs and minister urged over the Reykjanes Highway

The Mayor of Hafnarfjörður sent the following email to the MPs of the Southwest constituency and the Minister of Transport yesterday, following yet another serious traffic accident on the Reykjanesbraut. This is the well-known accident blackspot within Hafnarfjörður on the stretch of road from Kaldárselsvegur to the flyover at Krýsuvíkurvegur.
The mayor has repeatedly sent emails to the same group about the serious condition of this stretch of road, and the town council and town board have repeatedly passed resolutions on the matter:
The Minister of Transport and MPs for the South West constituency,
Reference is made to previous letters and posts to you regarding this urgent matter of concern to us, the people of Hafnarfjörður.
Another serious traffic accident occurred last week on the Reykjanes Highway within Hafnarfjörður, on the stretch from Kaldárselsvegur to the flyover junction with Krýsuvíkurvegur. This is a section of the Reykjanesbraut within Hafnarfjörður where the dualling of the road has not been completed. Despite being one of the country's busiest stretches of road, it is still a single carriageway with one-way traffic in each direction. The Transport Authority has compiled an annual accident report for 2015, and according to it, there were just over 100 accidents on the section of road from Kaldárselsvegur to Krýsuvíkurvegur (including the junction). This stretch of road is 3.5 km, which gives a rate of 28 accidents per km. Traffic on this stretch of road has increased significantly in recent years and it is foreseeable that it will increase even further in the coming years with increased development in Völlunum, Hafnarfjörður, which, among other things, is the only planned industrial and service district in the capital region, where plots are available, with rapidly growing settlements in the South West, increased tourist traffic, etc. 
 It goes without saying how the Reykjanesbrautin cuts right through Hafnarfjörður. Because of its route through the town, most residents of Hafnarfjörður have no choice but to use the road every day. It is completely unacceptable that residents of Hafnarfjörður have to live with the high risk of accidents posed by the Reykjanesbrautin within the municipality.
In the document Bill on the 2018 Budget it states, inter alia, on page 263: „Then some 600 million króna will be allocated to works on the Reykjanesbraut….“ No change to this was made during the budget's processing. In light of this, it is clear that Parliament intends to allocate 600 million króna to works on the Reykjanesbraut this year. It is now necessary to undertake emergency works on the Reykjanesbraut, specifically at the junction with Kaplakrika. According to information the undersigned has obtained, the estimated cost of this project is under 100 million króna, or between 70 and 100 million króna. If that goes ahead, at least 500 million króna will remain of this allocation.
It has now been approved to provide an additional four billion krónur for road matters, on top of what was approved in the budget. In light of this, the Minister of Transport and MPs for the Southwest Region are urged to ensure that 200 to 300 million króna from this year's budget allocation is secured for works on the Reykjanesbraut within Hafnarfjörður, making a total of up to 800 million króna available. in addition to what is allocated for the temporary works at the junction with Kaplakrika.
The tender documents for the dualling of the Reykjanesbraut from Kaldárselsveg to the flyover junction with Krýsuvíkurveg are almost ready, so there should be nothing to prevent the work from being put out to tender.
The Minister for Transport and the MPs for the Southwest constituency are urged to ensure that the project is put out to tender immediately, so that work begins this year and is completed next year.
If this is not the case, an explanation is requested as to how the executive intends to spend the 600 million króna that the legislature approved for works on the Reykjanesbraut in 2018, as per the above.
Regards, Haraldur L. Haraldsson, Mayor