Mayors demand review after fatal crash on Hillerød motorway extension

Mayors from three municipalities in North Zealand are calling on the Danish Road Directorate to investigate whether more could have been done to prevent a deadly collision on the Hillerød motorway extension, DR reports.

The demand follows a crash on Tuesday evening that killed two men, aged 35 and 52, when their vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another car. Two other drivers were injured but are not in life-threatening condition, according to North Zealand Police.

“We must acknowledge that a serious accident has occurred during the construction period,” said Allerød Mayor Clara Rao (Conservative Party). “The Road Directorate should examine whether there was anything they could have done to prevent this incident and what measures they plan to implement going forward to avoid a repeat.”

Rao will join the mayors of Furesø and Hillerød in formally addressing the Road Directorate. The stretch has seen multiple fatal crashes in recent years, including a July 2024 collision that killed a couple and another driver.

The Road Directorate told DR it would investigate the cause of Tuesday’s crash. Speed limits on the extension have already been reduced, information signs installed, and speed enforcement increased during the upgrade to a full motorway with a physical central barrier.

Traffic patterns on the route—currently handling higher volumes than originally designed for—will also be adjusted later this summer to eliminate alternating single- and double-lane sections. The motorway upgrade, including a central barrier with guardrails, is expected to be completed by 2027.

“The more traffic on a stretch, the greater the risk of both congestion and accidents,” the Road Directorate stated. “That’s why we’re upgrading the extension to a motorway.”