Suðurnes received just 1.7% of road investment

The Suðurnes region received just 1.7% of Iceland’s road investment over the past decade, according to a memorandum from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, reported by mbl.is. The region’s municipalities say they are unhappy with the funding priorities.

The memorandum says 160 billion krónur was spent on new road investments between 2015 and 2025. Of that, 2.7 billion went to Suðurnes, the lowest share of any region.

Berglind Kristinsdóttir, executive director of the Association of Municipalities in Suðurnes, said the figures came as a shock. She said the region is often grouped with South Iceland in the administration’s reports, making it difficult to compare funding.

Kristinsdóttir said the Reykjanesbraut highway serves as a key link for businesses and tourism, and is also important for civil protection. She noted that no funding for the road is earmarked in the transport plan until after 2030. As a result, work may not be completed until 2036 to 2040.

Municipal leaders in Suðurnes have called for the project to be brought forward and suggested improving connections to Reykjanesbær and doubling the roundabouts instead of building grade-separated junctions.

Kristinsdóttir also pointed to Nesvegur, a road from Reykjanesbær to Grindavík that has no winter maintenance. She said large work vehicles, freight trucks and tourists share the narrow road. She hopes the funding priorities will change, saying one region should not receive substantially less than others.