OurRoads

2

Effective road system - prosperous The road system is sometimes compared tothe circulatory system of humans, whichmaintains normal activity by ensuring asteady flow of blood throughout the body. Inthe same manner a reliable road andtransport system is the prerequisite for aprosperous and healthy society in both urbanand rural settings. The Icelandic Road

Administration (ICERA) is mandated by lawto supervise road construction, services andmaintenance of Iceland’s road system inaccordance with need. Essentially, thisrequires the Icelandic Road Administration tomaintain operations around the country, yetits activities and influence on daily life aregreater than many realize.

Ferries and the national transport system 4-5Ferry crossings on specific routes are part of Iceland’s

national road system, and ICERA is responsible forensuring that these services are available. The combined

length of the country’s road system was 13,034 km on 1 March 2006, and another 264 km is added when ferry

routes under the auspices of ICERA are included.

8 ICERA’s FundingThe amount of funding received by the Icelandic RoadAdministration is determined by the collection of a kilometre tax on vehicles weighing > 10 tons, petrol anddiesel oil taxes and other sources of incomeappropriated by the Treasury. In 2005, total funding toICERA amounted to over 13.4 billion ISK, while theState’s overall revenue from the field of cars and traffictotalled 47 billion ISK.

More driving - fewer accidents 6-7 During the 10-year period from 1995-2005 the number

of registered vehicles in Iceland rose by about 63%,while in 2005 alone the number of vehicles increased

by 26,000. Heavy-truck transportation on highwayshas increased substantially. At the same time the

number of road injuries and fatalities has decreasedby about 54% when compared to kilometres driven.

10-11 Operations around the countryAbout 330 people work for the Icelandic RoadAdministration around Iceland. Road construction, whichhad largely been implemented by ICERA, is now almostentirely allocated to contractors through tenders. Thisarrangement not only promotes greater efficiency andbetter utilisation of funds, it also has a very positive effecton economic activity in communities around Iceland.

June 2006 - Publisher: Icelandic Road Administration - Editorial supervision and layout: Athygli PR - English translation: Róbert Mellk - Printing: LitrófPhotographs: Viktor A. Ingólfsson, Hreinn Magnússon, Halldór Sveinbjörnsson, Jósep Gíslason, Gunnar E. Kvaran and Þórir Ingason

communities - strong economy

3

ICERA in the information age 12-13ICERA’s service centres in Ísafjörður and Reykjavík closelymonitor the state and condition of the road system, which

involves processing vast amounts of information aboutweather conditions, frost on roads, number of vehicles, traffic

speed, axle weight, distance between vehicles and muchmore. By processing this data it is possible to evaluate service

needs, and considerable effort is focused on quickly and efficiently channelling this information to travellers.

15 Research & developmentICERA maintains a dynamic research and development programme, which is involved in numerous projects at anygiven time. Research on load-bearing capacity and otherproperties of materials used in Icelandic roads is an important part of this work. Part of this research is conductedin cooperation with international research centres.

Traffic surveillance 14 Traffic surveillance by ICERA aims at preventing damage to

roads, and improving traffic safety. It monitors vehicles toensure that they comply with licensing regulations relating

to transporting people and freight on land. ICERA also monitors such vehicles to determine that the equipment andoperation of the vehicle are in accordance with statutes andregulations, and that stipulations regarding the driving time

and rest periods for drivers are respected.

16 Extensive soil reclamationIn recent years the Icelandic Road Administration has beenone of the largest parties involved in Iceland’s soil reclamation programme. ICERA has developed an environmental policy, whose primary aim is to ensure thatroads and traffic coexist well with the environment andpopulation.

4

The nation’s roads are divided into stateroads on the one hand and public and privateroads on the other. State roads are managedby the Icelandic Road Administration,including their construction, service andmaintenance. State roads form a continuousroad system that links populated areas. Thecombined length of the country’s road systemwas 13,034 km on 1 March 2006. State roadsthat can be used freely by the public aredivided into four categories: primary roads,secondary roads, estate roads and “tourist“roads. Ferries are defined as part of the stateroad system and their operation thereforeunder the responsibility of ICERA. Thecombined length of ferry routes was 264 kmon 1 March 2006. The main principles forcategorizing roads are the following:

Primary roadsPrimary roads reach areas with populationsof 1,000 or more and form a connectionbetween such areas. On 1 March 2006 thetotal length of these roads was 4,230 km.

Secondary roads These roads connect estate roads to primaryroads, and end at the third inhabited farmfrom the end of the road. Where a secondaryroad connects urban areas to the primaryroad system it shall extend to the part of thecommunity that is most important for itslocal economy. Roads to airports from whichthere are regular scheduled flights, and roadsto harbours and piers from which there arescheduled sailings, are also defined assecondary roads if they are not classified asprimary roads. On 1 March 2006 the totallength of these roads was 4,003 km.

Estate roads Estate roads connect farms, institutions, etc.to secondary or primary roads. These areroads that lead to inhabited farms notconnected to primary or secondary roads, tochurches, public schools and other publicinstitutions in rural areas and urban areaswith fewer than 200 inhabitants. On 1 March2006 the total length of these roads was 2,225km.

„Tourist roads“ These roads do notbelong to any of the above road categories. Thecategory covers roads acrossmountains and heaths, roads connectingdistricts, roads withinnational parks androads leading to populartourist spots. On 1 March2006 the total length of “tourist roads“ was 2,576 km.

Public roads, private roads, horse tracks,bicycle- and footpathsOwners of public roads, privateroads, horse tracks, bicycle paths and footpaths see to their construction,service and maintenance. Publicroads are owned by public authoritiesand can be used freely by the public,while private roads are funded by individuals, organisations, companies or public authorities. Horse tracks areused for horseback riding and are fundedby individuals, organisations, companies orpublic authorities. Bicycle- and footpaths arechiefly for bicycling and walking, and arefunded by individuals, organisations, companies or public authorities.

Road tunnelsIceland’s first road tunnel was opened in themid 20th century, which required excavatingthrough a 30-m thick dike between Ísafjörðurand Súðavík. Since then tunnels have beenconstructed at 7 sites around the country,most often with some intervals. On 1 March2006 the total length of road tunnels inIceland was 27 km.

In 2000 the Icelandic Parliament (Alþingi)approved a long-term road tunnel plan,which involves evaluating numerouspossibilities. A position was also takenregarding the location of the next roadtunnels, and an implementation andfinancing plan submitted.

The Road System

5

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Mountain road

Longest bridges Length of tunnels Height of mountainroads

Road system categories1 March 2006

Primary roads 4,230 km

Secondary roads 4,003 km

“Tourist roads“ 2,576 km

Ferry routes 264 km

Total state roads 13,034 km

Estate roads 2,225 km

21.0

3.06

JG

11,000 m9,120 m5,900 m5,770 m3,400 m1,300 m

800 m640 m30 m

Héðinsfjarðargöng (Tender 2006)

Breiðadals- og BotnsheiðiFáskrúðsfjarðargöngHvalfjörðurÓlafsfjarðarmúliAlmannaskarðStrákagöngOddsskarðArnardalshamar

SkeiðaráBorgarfjörðurSúlaÖlfusárósGígjukvíslKúðafljótLagarfljótHornafjarðarfljótMarkarfljótJökulsá í Lóni

880 m520 m420 m360 m336 m302 m301 m254 m250 m247 m

Vestmannaeyjar-Þorlákshöfn 74 kmDalvík-Grímsey 67 kmStykkishólmur-Flatey-Brjánslækur 52 kmÍsafjörður-Vigur-Æðey 46 kmMjóifjörður-Neskaupsstaður 17 kmDalvík-Hrísey 4 kmHrísey-Árskógssandur 4 km

Length of ferry routes

6

Increasing traffic Strain on the country’s roads has increasedsignificantly in recent years due to evermorevehicles and increasing heavy-trucktransportation. An improved road system hasbrought with it freight transportation by truckthat previously had been carried by ships.

In the 10-year period from 1995 to 2005,the number of registered vehicles rose byalmost 63%. At the end of 1995 there were135,284 registered vehicles in Icelandaccording to the Road Traffic Directorate:119,232 automobiles and 6,445 trucks. At theend of 2005, the number of registeredvehicles had increased to 214,885 accordingto the same source: 187,442 automobiles and9,508 trucks. In 2005, 26 thousand newvehicles were registered, of which 22thousand were automobiles.

Increasing traffic has caused a significantincrease in road wear, in particular due togrowing heavy-truck transport. Heavyvehicles wear state roads many times fasterthan light automobiles, breaking down aroad’s construction which over time reduces

its load-bearing capacity. It is generallyconsidered that weight has an wearingimpact on roads to an exponent of 4, whichmeans that a 10-ton axle wears down roads ata rate 10,000 times greater than a 1-ton axle.

Traffic accidents According to information from the RoadTraffic Directorate, the number of roadinjuries and fatalities in Iceland hasdecreased by about 54% when compared tokilometres driven. In 2005 there were 671reported road accidents involving injury,down from 790 in 2004. Serious injuries andfatalities, however, increased from 138 in2004 to 148 in 2005. There were 19 fatalitiesin 16 traffic accidents in 2005, a reductionfrom recent years when 23 died in both 2003and 2004, and 29 i 2002. During the years2001 - 2004, about 74% of road accidents thatresulted in serious injury or death were onroads under ICERA’s supervision. In 1995,263 individuals were seriously injured intraffic accidents, of which 24 died.

Vehicles and traffic

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

20,2

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,228

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4,88

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132,

468

149,

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1960

1970

1980

1990

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Automobiles All registered vehicles

Number ofvehicles

Number of vehicles in Iceland 1960 - 2005

7

0

20

40

60

80

100

27% 32%

59% 61%

78%

99% 100%

78%

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397 424 450504 527

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Number ofvehicles

5,97 6,27 6,49 6,707,93

8,68 8,74 9,04

11,8012,98

13,7714,89

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0

2500

2000

1500

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1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

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2000

2002

2004

Per millionkilometres

driven

� During 1996 to 2005 there was an annualaverage of 22 traffic fatalities in Iceland.

� Registered vehicles have increased significantly in Iceland in recent years.From 1995 to 2005 vehicles increased by almost 63%, and in 2005 there were26,000 first-time registered vehicles.

Paved roads as a share of the road system* Number of vehicles per 1000 persons (average 1999-2003)*

Increase in traffic in Iceland Traffic fatalities (average 1999-2003)**

* The figures are derived from an IRF 2005 (International Road Federation) report and cover the years 1999-2003.** Source: IRTAD (International Road Traffic and Accident Database).

8

Funding ICERA’s operations and road-constructionfunding is mainly derived from speciallyearmarked sources of income determined bythe Icelandic Parliament, i.e. taxes on petroland diesel oil on the one hand, and akilometre tax on vehicles > 10 tons on theother. Collection of these taxes, along withother occasional government appropriations,determines the annual funding available tothe Icelandic Road Administration. In 2005,overall revenue and allocations to ICERAamounted to ISK 14.9 billion, of which ISK13.4 billion was disposable in 2005.

Parliament determines the distribution ofICERA’s funds in the Road Budget, which is a

part of the overall Transport Plan that alsoincludes government funding to aviation andshipping. The Transportation Plan is a 12-year implementation schedule divided intothree, four-year periods that are reviewedevery two years.

The Road Budget defines primary projectsand their priority. ICERA’s main projects areroad construction, road maintenance andvarious services. In recent years many aspectsof public transportation have been underICERA’s supervision, including ferries,scheduled flights and licensed coach routes,as well as grant payments to these operations.

ICERA’s estimated revenue 2005-2008 according to the Transport Plan (Millions ISK.)

22000055 22000066 22000077 22000088Earmarked Sources of Income:Petrol tax 6,363 6,547 6,547 6,547Diesel tax per kilometre 2,518 1,051 1,067 1,083Diesel tax, annual fixed 1,497Fuel oil tariff 1,703 3,446 3,497 3,550Licence fee - transport 5 4 4 4Licence fee - taxi 5 6 6 6Total Sources of Income: 12,091 11,054 11,121 11,190

Appropriations from the Treasury:Government appropriations 1,663 1,526 4,988 4,911Appropriations to road tunnels 1,200 725 1,695 1,915Total appropriations from the Treasury 2,863 2,251 6,683 6,826

Total revenue and appropriations 14,954 13,305 17,804 18,016

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005prelim.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

BillionISK %

Construction Operations andservices

Maintenance

Allocations to roadsGovernment revenue from vehiclesand traffic as proportion of GNP

Government revenue fromvehicles and traffic

33%

22%

45%

Revenue from vehicles, traffic and other sources earmarked for roads.Distribution of funds in 2006 according to the Transport Plan

In former years the Icelandic RoadAdministration handled the construction andmaintenance of most roads that were built,while subcontractors worked on individualelements. This has been changing in recentyears as most projects are now tendered foron the open market. ICERA publishes a

newsletter containing information on roadconstruction and tenders: the status oftenders, upcoming tenders and advertisedtenders, as well as tenders being negotiatedand those that have been concluded, arelisted in the newsletter and posted on itswebsite www.vegagerdin.is.

Construction

� Opening tenders for Héðinsfjarðargöng tunnel 21 March 2006.

9

10

The Icelandic Road Administration employsabout 330 people situated at 19 locationsaround Iceland. The country is divided intofour regions plus headquarters. Theheadquarters are in Reykjavík, along withICERA’s management team comprised of theDirector General, Deputy Director Generaland the three division directors: construction,administrative and development.

ICERA’s regions are South Region,Southwest Region, Northwest Region andNortheast Region. Each region handlesconstruction, maintenance and operations of

its road system, and provides services totravellers within the region.

In addition to the Southwest Region’sregional centre in Reykjavík, there areregional centres in Selfoss, Borgarnes andAkureyri. ICERA also operates regionalfacilities in Reyðarfjörður, Sauðárkrókur andÍsafjörður, as well as service facilities inHafnarfjörður, Ólafsvík, Búðardalur,Patreksfjörður, Hólmavík, Hvammstangi,Húsavík, Þórshöfn, Vopnafjörður, Fellabær,Höfn and Vík.

Icelandic Road Administration

Parliament

Minister ofTransport

Director Generalof ICERA

Director General’sOffice

Quality ManagementInternal Audit

DevelopmentDivision

Planning andEnvironment

Finance

AdministrativeDivision

ConstructionDivision

Economics Bridges

Legal Construction

Operations

Research

Traffic

InformationTechnology

Personnel

Q-management& Surveillance

Road Design

Service

South Region Southwest Region

NorthwestRegion

NortheastRegion

Selfoss Reykjavík Borgarnes Akureyri

VíkHöfn

Hafnarfjörður Ísafjörður

Sauðárkrókur

ÓlafsvíkBúðardalur

PatreksfjörðurHólmavík

Hvammstangi

Reyðarfjörður

HúsavíkÞórshöfn

VopnafjörðurFellabær

Travellers

The Icelandic Road Administration’s Organisation Chart

Regional facilities

Service facilities

Machine workshop

Regional boundaries

Service areas boundaries

Regional centre

14.0

3.0

5 V

AI

Vík í Mýrdal

Selfoss

Borgarnes

Ólafsvík

Búðardalur

Patreksfjörður

Ísafjörður

Hólmavík

Hvammstangi

Akureyri

Húsavík

Þórshöfn

Vopnafjörður

Fellabær

Höfn í Hornafirði

Reyðarfjörður

Reykjavík

Hafnarfjörður

Sauðárkrókur

Suðurstrandarvegur/ Krísuvíkurvegur

Hringvegur/ Bláfjallavegur

Grafningsvegur/ Þingvallavegur

Þjónustumiðstöð

Hrútafjarðará

Sýslumörkum Gilsfjörð

Við Bakka

Laxárdalsvegur/ Djúpvegur

Við Arnarvatn

Sýslumörkvið Grjótá

Nýidalur

Vegamót viðFjórðungsöldu

Vegamót

Sýslumörk

Vegamótað Hveravöllum

Sýslumörká Brekknaheiði

Vestan viðGígjukvísl

Jökulsá

Sýslumörká Biskupshálsi

Sýslumörk

Þorskafjörður

Nesjavallavegur/Grafningsvegur

Hvalfjarðargöng, norðurendi

Við Þingvallaveg

Við Hringveg

Suðurstrandarvegur/ Grindavíkurvegur

Northwest Region

Southwest Region

South Region

Northeast Region

� The Icelandic Road Administration’s headquarters are located at Borgartún 5-7 in Reykjavík.

ICERA’s regional divisions.

11

12

Dynamic information services Collecting and channelling information totravellers about the state and condition ofroads is an important part of the IcelandicRoad Administration’s operations. Apowerful, automatic system collectsinformation about weather and roadconditions from ICERA’s network ofmeasuring stations around the country.Information from employees is also uploadedinto the system, as is information receivedfrom the police and travellers. Various otherinformation are made available: frost-measuring devices are specially situated tomonitor road base-layer frost and its load-bearing capacity, and from traffic classifiersinformation is received regarding number ofvehicles, traffic speed, distance betweenvehicles and axle weight of vehicles. All thisinformation is collected and stored in acentralized database, which is used toevaluate localised conditions and superviseroad services. This type of information isparticularly important when designing roadstructures, as well as for numerous othertasks handled by ICERA.

Numerous methods are utilized to channel

information to end users. ICERA’s centraldatabases are located in service centres inÍsafjörður and Reykjavík where employeesmonitor steady streams of data and make itreadily available. In addition to answeringICERA’s information phone 1777, data ismade accessible on answering machines, TVteletext and the website, as well as onelectronic signs along state roads. Thoseinterested in viewing the surface conditionson the country’s main highways can accessweb cameras on the Icelandic RoadAdministration’s website.

Telephone service

Road conditions 1777

Road conditions - recorded 1779

Weather stations 1779

ICERA Emergency Phone 522 1112

Teletext information pages 470-490

Website www.vegagerdin.is

Icelandic Road Administrationin the information age

� ICERA’s new service centre in Ísafjörður.

� Measuring devices that transmit data about road base-layer frost and humidity enable ICERA to remain current on a road’s load-bearing capacity.

13

� An employee checking one of the Icelandic Road Administration’s many traffic classifiers.

14

ICERA’s traffic surveillance unit aims atpreventing damage to roads, and improvingtraffic safety. The unit is required by law tomonitor the weight of vehicles, trip recordersand oil and kilometre payments.Furthermore, it checks vehicles to ensure thatthey comply with licensing regulationsrelating to transporting people and freight onland. Traffic surveillance also sees that taxisfollow regulations, and that stipulationsregarding the driving and rest periods fordrivers are respected.

Traffic surveillance inspectors areauthorized to stop vehicles and weigh them,

examine tachometers, and make other checksin accordance with their duties. If the overallweight, or axle weight, of the vehicle exceedspermissible limits the inspector may requirethe vehicle to be lightened before proceeding.The driver is required to adhere to these andother instructions given by the inspectorconcerning the vehicle before beingpermitted back on the road.

Traffic surveillance places emphasis ongood working relationships with those it isrequired to monitor, and strives to carry outits duties with a minimal amount ofdisturbance to those concerned.

Traffic surveillance

� Traffic surveillance inspectors on the job.

15

According to the Road Act, ICERA shall use1% of the earmarked sources of income forresearch activities. In 2006, this funding was114 million ISK in the Road Budget. The aimof this research and development work is toincrease the quality of the road network, aswell as the services provided by the IcelandicRoad Administration.

While a large proportion of funds areallocated to tasks within ICERA, emphasis isalso placed on funding projects that originateor are conducted by others, for exampleuniversities, various consulting companiesand institutions and even individuals. Thereare also instances of financial participation ininternational projects.

In the past five years there has been afocus on traffic-safety research, mainlythrough cooperation within the RANNUMtraffic safety progamme. From the beginningof 2006, greater emphasis is being put onresearch connected with environmentalissues and information technology.

Managing road services ICERA’s road services during both winter andsummer are wide ranging, and are allocatedconsiderable funding. Rapid technologicaladvances have made it easy to usecommunications technology to automaticallymonitor and record road services. TheIcelandic Road Administration has for severalyears used Automatic Vehicle Location andactivity recording and there are currently 27vehicles with such equipment. This

technology increases information flowregarding the scope of service needs, materialquantity and time, which is utilised inmanaging road services. In addition, suchregistrations can simplify the monitoring ofservice quality and contribute to improvedutilisation of funds. This project is still underdevelopment, which has been primarilyfinanced with research funding.

International cooperationICERA participates in various internationalresearch and development projects. Theprimary aims are to acquire knowledge andexperience from other countries, keep up todate with ongoing developments andimplement them in Iceland when appropriate,to introduce our experience and knowledge inthe international arena and raise financing forresearch projects from the EU.

Among ICERA’s collaborative partnersabroad is the Swedish National Road &Transport Research Institute, whichconducted extensive research on Icelandicroad-construction material in 2000. One-hundred tons of Icelandic granular materialwas shipped to Sweden where a road wasthen constructed at the institute. Over 3-4weeks load-bearing tests were conducted onthe Icelandic road equivalent to about 10years of heavy trucking. These studiesprovided valuable data concerning thebearing capacity of Icelandic roads, and theconclusions have been used for furtherresearch and analysis.

Research & development

� Testing on road-building materials is conducted at the Icelandic RoadAdministration’s research laboratory at Borgartún, among other places.

� ICERA´s surveyors at work.

� Road constructionworkers build a sample ofIcelandic road at aSwedish researchinstitute, where extensivetests were carried out onIcelandic road materials.

Environmental policy ICERA has defined the main environmental factors in itsoperations and formulated an environmental policy andgoals. The main goal of the environmental policy is topromote a harmonious relationship of roads and trafficwith the environment and community. This policy isbased on the ISO 14001:2004 environmental standardand environmental management systems in publicadministration. Emphasis is focused on roads being asnormal a part of the environment as possible, and thattheir construction, maintenance and operation shouldhave a minimal impact on the environment. In addition,it shall be endeavoured to reduce noise and the use ofpollutants, for example the use of solvent-based paintswas discontinued in 2004; today, only latex water-basedpaints are used to mark roads. Furthermore, the use ofwhite spirit, used as a thinner in road surface coatings, isbeing limited.

Environmental reports ICERA publishes an annual environmental report thatdiscusses the environmental management system andICERA’s main activities relating to environmentalmatters. In addition, ICERA maintains „wethlandbookkeeping“ that it submits to the EnvironmentalHealth and Protection Office. The EHPO reports on thereclamation countermeasures necessary because ofdisruptions to wetlands resulting from ICERA roadconstruction.

Extensive soil reclamationThe Icelandic Road Administration places priority onlandscaping areas connected with road construction. Inrecent years ICERA has been among Iceland’s largestparticipants in replanting. During 2004 and 2005, over2400 hectares of roadside land were seeded andfertilised. ICERA supports various projects relating toenvironmental issues, for example replantingembankments by experimenting with different kinds ofvegetation.

Landscaping quarries In 2004, ICERA published a long-term plan regarding thelandscaping of discontinued quarries. There are 3031quarries registered in ICERA’s quarry network, of which1621 have not been restored. Of these, about 1100 areunder the auspices of ICERA, which has determined torestore about 900 quarries by the end of the nextTransport Plan in 2018.

Rest areas Over the past fewdecades the IcelandicRoad Administrationhas built up acomprehensive network

of rest areas along the country’s state roads, whichinclude information maps about roads and localconditions in the vicinity, along with tables and benchesfor resting. ICERA has also set up numerous signs thatcontain various interesting information about local areas.

Environmental issues