There are no plans to extend winter road maintenance hours in the Westfjords, despite residents emphasising that costly investments, such as the route over Dynjandisheiði, are not being fully utilised.
Snow is cleared on the Dynjandisheiði pass on weekdays from 10:00 to 17:00, but in the evenings and on weekends, there is no winter service, which means the road can quickly become impassable.
At a meeting between residents and representatives of (Vegagerðin) the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration in Patreksfjörður, it was pointed out that investing in new roads is pointless if they cannot be used consistently.
“We would like to do more, but we lack the funds,” said Bergþóra Kristinsdóttir, Director of Services at the Road Administration.
Before the opening of the Dýrafjarðargöng tunnel in 2019, the route was impassable in winter, forcing travellers to take the longer route via Djúpið or fly between Patreksfjörður and Ísafjörður.
When Dynjandisheiði is passable, the drive between these towns takes around two hours.
Source: Ruv.is
