Road Administration To Install Rockfall Barriers At Site Of Fatal Accident

The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin) plans to install so-called rockfall barriers at Steinafjall, where a fatal accident occurred last year, reports Vísir.

As previously reported by the Grapevine, a woman died last March when a massive rock broke loose from Steinafjall and crashed through the roof of the car she was driving. Today, the Accident Investigation Board published its report on the incident, calling for measures to improve road safety in the area.

A local resident says it is common for rocks to fall from the slopes of Steinafjall, which lies under the Eyjafjöll mountain range. Most recently, rocks fell onto the road on Christmas Eve, though no one was injured.

G. Pétur Matthíasson, communications officer at the Road Administration, says they have only recently received the green light for funding to improve traffic safety at the site.

“This will cost tens of millions of krónur. The design work is complete and we are preparing the tender documents. The project will be put out to tender in the near feature,” he told Vísir.

The plan is to install rockfall barriers designed to catch falling debris; similar safety measures are already in place in the Westfjords. The project is expected to go out to tender within the next few weeks or months.

“This has been looked at before, but funding has not been available until now,” G. Pétur Matthíasson added.