Route 41 (Iceland)

Route 41
Reykjanesbraut
Reykjanes Highway in red
Route information
Existed	1912–present
Major junctions
Northern end	Route 40 Kringlumýrarbraut
Major intersections	Route 49 Miklabraut Route 413 Breiðholtsbraut Route 411 Arnarnesvegur Route 40 Fjarðarhraun
Western end	Keflavik International
Location
Country	Iceland
Highway system
Roads in Iceland

Road 41 (Reykjanesbraut) in Hafnarfjörður

Aerial view of Route 41 looking towards Reykjavík

Route 41, known as Reykjanesbraut (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈreiːcaˌnɛsˌprœyːt], lit. 'Reykjanes Way') in Icelandic, is a highway in southwest Iceland, running along the northern shore of Reykjanes Peninsula from Keflavík Airport to the Capital Region.^[1]

The current road is mostly dual carriageway with four lanes and grade separated junctions. In addition to being the main road between Reykjavík and Keflavík Airport, it serves as a major traffic artery in the eastern and southern suburbs of the Capital Region. It runs from the intersection of Miklabraut-Sæbraut-Vesturlandsvegur south towards Hafnarfjörður, where it bends, and continues from there to Keflavík.^[2][1]

History

The original road was finished in 1912. This road was called Keflavíkurvegur ([ˈcʰɛplaˌviːkʏrˌvɛːɣʏr̥], lit. 'Keflavík Road') but the name is now given to route 424 that runs from Reykjanesbraut through outer Njarðvík and Keflavík, which comprises much of the original 1912 road.

In the years 1960 to 1965, a new paved road was constructed. From 1965 until 1972, there was a toll to repay construction costs.^[3]

2003 saw the start of construction to upgrade the non-urban part to a dual carriageway, being completed by October 2008.^[4] In 2021, the urban section of the road through Hafnafjörður was upgraded to a dual carriageway, with grade separated crossings.^[5] In 2023, construction began to upgrade the last single carriageway section to a dual carriageway, projected to be complete by 2026, past the Straumsvík aluminium smelter.^[6]

Sections

As a national highway the route includes a large part of Sæbraut [ˈsaiːˌprœyːt], a local road in Reykjavík that begins at the northern end of Reykjanesbraut. Therefore, the stretch of Sæbraut east of Kringlumýrarbraut is marked as number 41.^[7]

References

1. "Roads". www.vegagerdin.is. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
2. Pomrenke, Erik (2024-07-13). "Plans to Expand Reykjanesbraut". Iceland Review. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
3. "Keflavíkurvegurinn 50 ára - RÚV.is". RÚV. 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
4. DV (19 October 2008), Tvöföld Reykjanesbraut komin í gagnið, retrieved 10 April 2010
5. Daðason, Kolbeinn Tumi (2020-11-24). "Opnað fyrir umferð á tvöfaldri Reykjanesbraut - Vísir". visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
6. Unnarsson, Kristján Már (2023-05-18). "Samið við Aðalverktaka um breikkun Reykjanesbrautar - Vísir". visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
7. "Roads". www.vegagerdin.is. Retrieved 2024-09-13.