Road authority may close Hvalfjord tunnel over eclipse traffic

Iceland’s road administration may close the Hvalfjord tunnel later on Wednesday if traffic becomes too heavy, mbl.is reports. Traffic has been spread out well in recent days, and officials hope that many people travelling west to see the total solar eclipse have already arrived.

Queues have begun forming in the Westfjords, with people waiting at police checkpoints near Bjargtangar since 8am.

“We do not really know what will happen as the day progresses, but traffic heading west, especially towards the southern Westfjords, has increased since Sunday,” G. Pétur Matthíasson, head of the road administration’s communications department, told mbl.is.

Traffic has been distributed steadily over several days and has generally remained fairly even throughout the day. Many people travelled through the Hvalfjord tunnel on Tuesday, bringing traffic close to a peak or record level, although it was spread out better than on a normal day.

The road administration has not calculated how many people have travelled west in recent days. It hopes that most people planning to visit the Westfjords, which require a longer journey, have already set off or arrived.

Officials are less certain about traffic to Snæfellsnes, particularly later in the afternoon when people living in Iceland may also decide to travel after checking the weather. The number of Icelanders who do not live in the path of totality but want to reach it, including from southern Iceland and the Reykjanes peninsula, could create significant congestion.

The road administration is monitoring the situation and is relying on traffic controls already in place, including a one-way system. It said it would respond to conditions if necessary.