Road authority replaces surface dressing on Öxnadalsheiði

The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration has completed the replacement of surface dressing with asphalt on almost two kilometres of Öxnadalsheiði, a mountain pass, mbl.is reports.

The work is part of an initiative to asphalt road sections that are subject to heavy wear. The initiative began last summer.

The newly paved section continues directly from a stretch of just over three kilometres that was asphalted on Öxnadalsheiði last year.

Malbikun Akureyrar carried out the work for the road authority on 25 and 26 August, in good conditions. Bitumen bleeding had frequently occurred in the surface dressing on this section, and the asphalt is expected to reduce the risk of such damage.

Traffic on Öxnadalsheiði is heavy during the summer, making it challenging to keep the road open during the project. Traffic was directed through the work zone because the diversion route is long and runs outside the Troll Peninsula, either through the Múlagöng and Strákagöng tunnels or via Lágheiði, according to the road authority’s website.