Danish road authority responds to mayors’ concerns over deadly highway stretch

The Danish Road Directorate has invited four mayors to an urgent meeting following repeated calls to improve safety on a stretch of the Hillerød motorway extension, where two fatal crashes have occurred in recent weeks, DR reports.

The move comes after mayors from Hillerød, Gribskov, Furesø, and Allerød sent joint letters of concern to the agency, most recently following a head-on collision last Tuesday between a van and a truck. Two occupants of the van were injured and taken to Rigshospitalet’s trauma centre. Just three weeks earlier, two people died in another crash on the same 13-kilometre section.

In a statement, the Road Directorate acknowledged the persistent safety issues despite existing measures, including lowered speed limits and increased enforcement. Director Jens Holmboe cited excessive speed as the primary cause of the fatal March crash, noting that “drivers continue to travel significantly too fast, make reckless overtaking manoeuvres, or are inattentive.”

The agency has scheduled discussions with the mayors to explore additional short-term solutions before planned road reconfiguration in September. The stretch—currently a 2+1 motorised road with alternating lanes—is set to become a full motorway next year, but local officials argue the changes cannot wait.

No further details on proposed measures were provided in the announcement.