An updated cost estimate for Sundabraut will only be available once a decision has been made on the preferred option and further work has been carried out on analysis and early design for that option.
However, it is clear that the overall scope of the project will amount to well over ISK 100 billion, and that a tunnel option would cost ISK 10–25 billion more than a bridge solution.
So says G. Pétur Matthíasson, spokesperson for Vegagerðin (the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration), in comments to mbl.is. He was responding to remarks by Dagur B. Eggertsson, former Reykjavík mayor, in an mbl.is report earlier this week, where Dagur noted that no updated cost estimate is yet available for either alignment, with the latest figures dating from 2021.
A project worth well over ISK 100 billion
G. Pétur says a choice of option must come first. That would be followed by preliminary work on draft designs for the project. At that stage, a cost estimate would be produced, albeit with considerable uncertainty. More detailed design phases—concept design, preliminary design and detailed design—would then follow, with the estimate refined at each step.
He reiterates that Vegagerðin has said the project’s total cost is in the hundreds of billions of krónur, and that tunnels would cost ISK 10–25 billion more than a bridge.
A previous report recalled that the cost estimate for the Capital Area Transport Agreement was updated last year after further analysis, rising from ISK 170 billion to ISK 311 billion—an 83% increase. Dagur echoed concerns about this and said it remains unclear what Sundabraut will cost.
Asked whether he expects a significant increase in the updated estimate, G. Pétur answered in the affirmative: “Yes—in my mind that’s quite clear, though I don’t know by how much.”
Tender possible next year
Vegagerðin’s Environmental Impact Assessment for Sundabraut was published last week, and the project has been widely discussed since.
As for next steps and timeline, G. Pétur says that following the EIA presentation in the consultation portal and review of comments, it would be possible to tender the project next year and start construction in 2027.
Vegagerðin currently estimates a construction period of about five years.
Detailed investigations planned at the landfill mounds
According to the EIA, numerous studies must be carried out before choosing an option and beginning construction. Among them is the question of the Gufunes landfill mounds, across which Sundabraut is planned to run for about 900 metres. Concerns have been raised about gas generation and potential soil contamination due to settlement of the fills, which could mobilize pollutants and wash them into the sea. The EIA foresees detailed investigations of these issues, and even moving the alignment outside the mounds is being considered.
“If trial embankment studies indicate that pollutants are likely to be released into the environment, so-called lightweight solutions for the road structure come into consideration—these are designed to reduce the load of the road on its subgrade. Alternative alignments through Gufunes that avoid the mounds are also under review, which would prevent possible pollutant release,” the EIA states.
Source: Mbl.is
