The Road System 2017

Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, IRCA Categories of roads

According to the Road Act (from 2007), ’s road National roads Primary roads system is categorised into national roads, municipal National roads are for the free travel of the general public. Primary roads are a part of the basic transport system roads, public paths and private roads, where national and They are categorised as follows: and connect the country’s urban areas. These, in turn, are municipal roads make up a coherent and continuous road connected to villages with a population of 100 inhabitants system that connects the country’s urban and rural areas. or more. Roads with substantial traffic connecting municipalities in the metropolitan area are also primary On pages 6-7 is a map that shows how the public road roads. In cases where a primary road ends in a system is divided into categories: primary roads, primary municipality, it stretches as far as the first intersection with highland roads, secondary roads, local access roads and a street that belongs to the municipality. In some cases, highland roads. a primary road connects an airport or a harbour, that is important for cargo transport or tourism.

Primary highland roads A part of Iceland’s basic transport system runs through its highlands. Because of the nature of these roads, Mjóafjardarvegur (953), secondary road. however, services are limited and they are closed in the winter. Highland roads are usually narrow gravel roads or tracks and most rivers are unbridged.

Secondary roads Secondary roads are roads outside populated areas that connect primary roads or highland roads to a primary road. They can also be roads connecting a village with less than 100 inhabitants to the primary road system or roads to airports and harbours, which are important to cargo transport and tourism, as well as roads to ferry harbours, national parks and their interiors, and popular tourist destinations in rural areas.

Nesbraut (49) in Reykjavík (Hringbraut), primary road. Vestfjardavegur (60) on Brattabrekka, primary road. Útnesvegur (574), secondary road.

Hringvegur, Ring Road (1) in Sudursveit, primary road. Kjalvegur (35), primary highland road. Eyjafjardarbraut vestri (821), secondary road.

The Road System 2017. Publisher: Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, IRCA (Vegagerðin), Borgartún 7, IS-105 Reykjavík, Iceland. February 2017. Editor: Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson. Cover photo: Hringvegur, Ring Road (1) north of Vegaskard.

2 3 Local access roads Local access roads are roads to places such as farms, factories, churches, public schools and other public places located outside populated areas. They are officially planned and listed in the Road Register. A road can also qualify as a local access road if it connects a group of 30 summer houses or more to a primary or a secondary Thorgrímsstadavegur (712), local access road. Path for horses by Kaldadalsvegur (550) at Bolabás. road.

Highland roads These are state roads that do not belong to any of the road categories listed above. This category covers roads across mountains and moors. These roads are usually with seasonal traffic and limited services. Highland roads are usually narrow gravel roads or tracks and most rivers are unbridged.

Public and private roads and public paths The owners of public and private roads are the keepers of these roads. Ingjaldssandsvegur (624), local access road. Skardsvegur (793) Siglufjardarskard, highland road. Public roads are owned by public authorities and can be Sævar, the ferry to Hrísey island. used freely by the general public. Public paths can be for walking, cycling or riding and are kept by public authorities. Funds for these paths are Ferries allocated in the state road budget. The state road budget is authorised to allocate funds to ferries involved in the transport of people and vehicles across straits and fjords, if the ferry substitutes a primary road or link road connection for at least part of the year.

Hjardarholtsvegur (587), local access road. Brúarvegur (907), highland road.

Jökulhálsleid (570), highland road. Footbridge over Nesbraut (49) in Reykjavík (Hringbraut).

4 5 Grímsey Raufarhöfn he road system Thistilfjördur safjardardjúp Kópasker

Thórshöfn

Önundarfjördur Öxarfjördur r Sudureyri Eyjafjördu Bolungarvík Bakkaflói Drangajökull Siglufjördur Skjálfandi Skagafjördur safjördur Flateyri Nordurfjördur Ólafsfjördur Bakkafjördur Dýrafjördur Húsavík Gjögur Hrísey Reykjanes Dalvík Grenivík Thingeyri Húnaflói Arnarfjördur Hofsós Hjalteyri Skagaströnd Vopnafjördur Saudárkrókur Héradsflói Bíldudalur Hólmavík Svalbardseyri Laugar Tálknafjördur Drangsnes Patreksfjördur Blönduós Reykjahlíd Borgarfjördur Brjánslækur Mývatn Varmahlíd Hrútafjördur Króksfjardarnes Reykhólar Gilsfjördur Flatey Seydisfjördur Laugabakki Egilsstadir Breidafjördur Mjóifjördur Neskaupstadur Bordeyri Eskifjördur Hvammsfjördur Stykkishólmur Búdardalur Reydarfjördur

Hellissandur Fáskrúdsfjördur Ólafsvík Grundarfjördur Stödvarfjördur Breiddalsvík Arnarstapi Hofsjökull Djúpivogur Húsafell

Langjökull

Borgarnes

Vatnajökull Faxaflói Hvalfjördur Geysir Höfn Laugarvatn Thórisvatn Hornafjördur

Reykjavík Thingvallavatn Reykholt Gardur Flúdir Hafnarfjördur Laugarás Sandgerdi Keflavík Skaftafell Hveragerd i Road system categories 2017 Hafnir Primary roads ...... 4,416 km Fagurhólsmýri Thorlákshöfn Primary highland roads . . 503 km Grindavík Hella Kirkjubæjarklaustur Secondary roads . . . . . 3,393 km Hvolsvöllur Highland roads ...... 1,938 km Thykkvibær Local access roads . . . . 2,651 km 0 10 20 30 40 50 km Mýrdalsjökull Total national roads . . . 12,901 km

Skógar Ferries

07.01.2017 VAI

Vík 6 7 Paved roads

Paved roads at the end of 2016 Gravel roads

27.01.2017 VAI

0 10 20 30 40 50 km

8 9 Road tunnels, largest bridges and mountain roads Road tunnels Scale 1: 100.000 These pages show an overview of the road tunnels, largest bridges on state roads and Siglufjördur 3.900 m Ólafsfjördur 7.100 m some mountain roads. Their size is represented with symbols that are to scale. 1 Hédinsfjardargöng 2010 11.000 m Botnsdalur 2.907 m Breidadalur 4.150 m Bridges are listed according to length and the surface area. Because of glacier retreat and 2 Breidadals- og Botnsheidi 1996 9.160 m Tungudalur 2.103 m changes in the drainage basin Iceland’s longest bridge, across Skeidará, will be replaced with a shorter one in 2017. 3 Nordfjardargöng 7.900 m Tunnel in construction Combined, the two legs of the Hédinsfjördur tunnel make up the longest road tunnel 4 Vadlaheidargöng 7.500 m in Iceland. It cuts through the isolated fjord of Hédinsfjördur, connecting the towns of Siglufjördur and Ólafsfjördur. The sub-sea road tunnel under Hvalfjördur and the road 5 Fáskrúdsfjardargöng 2005 5.900 m tunnel Vadlaheidargöng are privately owned and are operated on a toll basis. 6 Hvalfjardargöng 1998 5.770 m The road north of Reynisfjall, close to Vík í Mýrdal, is only 119 meters above sea level, but Tunnel in preparation is still the most elevated road between Hveragerdi and Höfn. The highest road elevation is 7 Dýrafjardargöng 5.600 m to be found in the interior of Iceland on a road through Sprengisandur, which is 940 meters 8 Bolungarvíkurgöng 2010 5.400 m above sea level.

9 Múlagöng 1991 3.400 m single lane

10 Almannaskardsgöng 2005 1.300 m double lane

11 Húsavíkurhöfdagöng 992 m

Year Scale 1: 10.000 Longest bridges 12 Strákagöng 1967 800 m

) * Skeidará 1974 880 m 13 Oddsskard 1977 640 m

1 Borgarfjördur 1979 520 m 14 Arnarneshamar 1948 30 m

2 Súla 1973 420 m

3 Ölfusárós 1988 360 m Bolungarvíkurgöng Road tunnels Strákagöng Bridges Breidadals- Héðinsfjardargöng 4 Gígjukvísl 1998 336 m og Botnsheidi Arnarneshamar Mountain roads Múlagöng Húsavíkurhöfdagöng 5 Kúdafljót 1993 302 m Dýrafjardargöng Víkurskard 6 Lagarfljót 1958 301 m Dynjandisheidi Steingrímsfjardarheidi Hellisheidi eystri

7 Hvítá by Brædratunga 2010 270 m Vaðlaheidargöng Mývatnsheidi Vatnsskard Öxnadalsheidi 8 Hornafjardarfljót 1961 254 m Lagarfljót Fjardarheidi 1991 9 Markarfljót 250 m Nordfjardargöng Jökulsá in Fljótsdalur Oddsskard 10 Jökulsá in Fljótsdalur 2001 250 m Sprengisandur, Nýjabæjarafréttur Kolgrafafjördur Fáskrúdsfjardargöng Holtavörduheidi Brattabrekka Kjalvegur, Fjórdungsalda Largest lane area of bridges Sprengisandur, Nýidalur

Kaldidalur 1 Borgarfjördur 1979 4.659 m2 Borgarfjördur Kjalvegur, Bláfellsháls Almannaskardsgöng

Hornafjardarfljót Nýjabæjarafréttur 940 F821 Sprengisandur, *) Skeidará 1974 3.870 m2 Hvalfjardargöng Mosfellsheidi 2 2 Hvítá by Brædratunga 2010 2.430 m Hvítá Nýidalur 820 F26 Sprengisandur, Hellisheidi 2 Fjarðarheidi 3 Gígjukvísl 1998 2.352 m Súla Skeidará Bláfellsháls Kjalvegur, Ölfusárós Gígjukvísl 720 F550 Kaldidalur 2 1988 Fjórdungsalda 672 F35 Kjalvegur, 4 Ölfusárós 2.340 m 655 917 Hellisheidi eystri 620 93 5 Kúdafljót 1993 2.114 m2 Markarfljót Kúdafljót 600 F35 540 1 Öxnadalsheidi 2 Reynisfjall 6 Lagarfljót 1958 1.806 m 500 60 Dynjandisheidi

2 439 61 Steingrímsfjardarheidi 1973 Víkurskard 7 Súla 1.805 m 420 1 Vatnsskarð 407 1 Holtavörduheidi

Road 402 60 Brattabrekka 374 1 Hellisheidi 8 Markarfljót 1991 1.750 m2 Road number 335 1 Mývatnsheidi 325 1

9 Jökulsá in Fljótsdalur 2001 1.750 m2 260 36 Mosfellsheidi

Meters above sea level 1 north of Reynisfjall 119

10 Kolgrafafjördur 2004 1.725 m2 Mountain roads

10 11 Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, IRCA

Borgartún 7, IS-105 Reykjavík, Iceland Telephone: (+354) 522 1000 Webpage: www.vegagerdin.is E-mail: [email protected] Information on road conditions, telephone: 1777