A large portion of the northeast section of Route 1—also known as the Ring Road—has been closed due to the danger of flooding, RÚV reports.
This closure extends roughly from Mývatn to Egilsstaðir, and encompasses the general Jökulsá á Fjöllum river area.
As the river has been rising, there has been increasing amount of large chunks of ice floating down the river, which puts the Route 1 bridge over this river in greater danger. This is especially the case as the ice can jam and begin to pile up in such conditions.
Traveling by road in Iceland is always a roll of the dice, but in winter, especially so. Readers are advised to check the Icelandic Road And Coastal Administration’s map of road conditions all over the country, before you get behind the wheel or plan to do so.
When this portion of Route 1 will be open again is hard to predict, but authorities will alert the public when that time comes.
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