Pressure for ministerial action

A representative of businesses in Hellnahraun and Selhraun in Hafnarfjörður attended a meeting with the Minister of the Interior recently, together with the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður and the Chairman of the Planning and Building Council. At the meeting, two formal letters were submitted concerning the construction of a grade-separated junction at the intersection of Krýsuvíkurvegur and Reykjanesbraut. The junction is considered extremely dangerous and is long overdue. 

This far and no further, say the companies

A meeting with the minister was held following an invitation from businesses in Hellnahraun and Selhraun to the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður for a solidarity meeting in early January. The companies are pushing for the construction of a roundabout at the junction of the Reykjanesbraut and Krýsuvíkurveg, and wish to improve the safety of their staff and customers. The companies in the area are demanding that the construction of the roundabout is prioritised before a serious accident occurs. They want the completion of the flyover to be brought forward to 2017, with work starting as soon as possible this year. Funding for the project is included in the proposed 2018 transport plan, but the companies want to accelerate the process. If it is not possible to carry out the flyover junction works immediately, the companies' management is requesting that a traffic light system be installed on the Reykjanesbrautin.  Such traffic lights would both increase safety and, not least, reduce the speed on this busy road. However, it is clear that the only long-term solution is an overpass in the area, similar to junctions that have been built in many other places where the traffic volume is much lower. It is estimated that every day, thousands of employees, residents and customers drive through the current T-junction, including hundreds of large lorries.

„We want to see work on the flyover begin this year. It has been on the drawing board for a long time and we have all shown great patience. Now we need to see action so that the safety of everyone using the area can be ensured. We must not forget that Vellir in Hafnarfjörður is a growing neighbourhood, with a growing number of businesses, and it is also home to the largest primary school in the country. What was once a need has now become a necessity.“ says Haraldur L. Haraldsson, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður.