Statement by the Minister of Transport and Local Government regarding the Reykjanesbraut

A new preliminary report by Vegagerðin and Mannvit concludes that the most cost-effective option is to widen the Reykjanesbraut, from the junction with Krýsuvík to Hvassahraun, within the existing road alignment. This route simplifies previous designs but would also require an amendment to the master plan. Previous proposals had, among other things, envisaged relocating the route of the Reykjanesbraut due to planning matters and ideas for a potential expansion of the aluminium smelter in the area.

Recently, the Minister of Transport and Local Government, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, has held meetings and discussions with representatives of the Road Administration, Hafnarfjörður Municipality and the Straumsvík Aluminium Smelter with a view to having all parties involved work on the matter based on the new premises now in place. If a successful settlement is reached, it will be possible to accelerate the works on the Reykjanesbraut from the junction with Krýsuvík to Hvassahraun and complete them within the first period of the transport plan, rather than the second period as previously planned.

Construction cheaper and starting sooner
If preparations proceed well under the new assumptions, it is expected that construction can begin in 2022 instead of 2026. It is also anticipated that the new design will be considerably cheaper, estimated at around 2.1 billion instead of 3.3 billion in previous plans.

A news article was published on the website of the Cabinet Office on 17 January 2020. A picture is also taken from the website of the Cabinet Office.