Road widening plans voted down

The proposed widening of the Oyndarfjørður-Hellurnar and the Funningsfjørður road stretches was rejected in Parliament yesterday.

The widening of the two road stretches were proposed separately, but both proposals were voted down.

Coalition members who voted against the proposals say they agree with the proposers that the roads in question are in dire need of repairs, but they cannot give the go-ahead to widening the roads.

Busy road stretches

According to the proposers, the Funningsfjørður road needs to be widened as it is the main traffic link to tourist hot spots Gjógv, Funningur and Elduvík, all of which are receiving increasing amounts of tourists every year.

Additionally, they argue that the village of Funningsfjørður has a great deal of industrial activity with heavy lorry traffic.

There is also general agreement that the Oyndarfjørður-Hellurnar stretch is in need of an overhaul. But the widening plans have been shelved for now.

Not a priority now

According to those who rejected the proposals, the transport minister has already initiated repair works on the two road stretches.

These planned repairs include more lay-bys on both stretches and new crash barriers on parts of the Oyndarfjørður-Hellurnar road.

Transport minister Heðin Mortensen has informed Parliament that the ministry is still working on a long-term plan to widen these road stretches in the near future.

Translated by prosa.fo