Minister of Internal Affairs Ögmundur Jónasson formally launched the first phase in the doubling of Sudurlandsvegur, the part of the Ring Road connecting Reykjavík and Hveragerdi, on Wednesday.
Hannes Kristmundsson, who has campaigned for the broadening of the highway, handed Jónasson a spade. The minister broke the ground but as not much digging by hand will take place at this stage of the project, he was also given the task of dropping gravel from a truck bed, Fréttabladid reports.
The part of the road that will be doubled in the first stage is 6.5 kilometers long and stretches from Fossvellir in the Lögbergsbrekka slope to the Draugahlídarbrekka slope east of the pit stop Litla kaffistofan.
The contractor responsible for the project is Ingileifur Jónsson efh. and its agreement with the Icelandic Road Administration is worth ISK 642 million (USD 5.5 million, EUR 4.1 million), which is approximately 85 percent of the cost estimate. The Road Administration’s total cost is estimated at around ISK one billion.
Because of the operations, the speed limit on Sudurlandsvegur has been reduced.
Click here to read more about Kristmundsson’s efforts.
