Grindavík approves Northern Lights Road route changes

Grindavík town council has approved changes to the municipality’s 2018-2032 master plan to allow improvements to the route of Norðurljósavegur, or Northern Lights Road, and a new design for its junction with Grindavíkurvegur, mbl.is reports. The change has been confirmed in the government planning portal.

The decision follows a series of volcanic eruptions at the Sundhnúkagígaröðin crater row, during which lava covered Grindavíkurvegur and part of Norðurljósavegur, cutting road connections from Grindavík to the north and severing the Blue Lagoon’s main connection to Grindavíkurvegur.

The connections are considered highly important as evacuation routes, for protecting infrastructure and for businesses operating in the area, according to documents in the planning portal.

Grindavíkurvegur was rebuilt across the lava and Norðurljósavegur was given a new route, partly along an existing construction road, because of strong public interests. The temporary route has since been found to be unsafe, with several near-accidents linked to sharp bends and confusing side roads.

There have also been repeated near-accidents at the junction with Grindavíkurvegur, where drivers turn from Norðurljósavegur onto the straight, busy road and traffic moves quickly.

The junction will be redesigned in line with a proposal from Iceland’s Road and Coastal Administration, which considers the planned improvements necessary and urgent.

The changes involve slightly modifying the road alignment over a 300-metre section and redesigning the junction. Grindavík municipality says the changes are limited and that the usual master-plan amendment process is therefore not required. Instead, it submitted a reasoned proposal to the Housing, Construction and Planning Authority.

Stakeholders consulted on the plans included the Road and Coastal Administration, HS Orka, the Blue Lagoon, Northen Light Inn hotel and the Environment and Energy Agency. They generally welcomed the proposals, and the municipality says it has reviewed the submissions and taken them into account.