Hornafjörður mayor seeks lower tolls for local residents

Hjalti Þór Vignisson, mayor of Hornafjörður, has called for continued work to lower tolls for local residents on the new road, mbl.is reports.

Vignisson submitted a briefing note on discussions about the toll with Guðmund Daði Rúnarsson, chief executive of Ganga og brúar ohf., a newly established state-owned company responsible for operations, financing and ownership. The municipality of Hornafjörður reported the discussions on its website.

The toll is 1,500 krónur for a single trip by a vehicle weighing less than 3,500 kilograms. That is three times the planned 500-króna toll for the new Ölfusá bridge. Hornafjörður’s town council wants work to continue on reducing the rate for the local community.

Toll collection on the new section of the national road across Hornafjarðarfljót began on September 1. The toll is intended to finance the construction, and the section, opened on June 24, shortens the Ring Road from 1,321 kilometres to 1,309.

Morgunblaðið said it was unable to reach Rúnarsson, Vignisson, town council president Ingibjörg Sveinsdóttir or councillor Björgvin Óskar Sigurjónsson for interviews.