20 janúar 2026Rockfall barrier installed at Holtsnúpur
A 300-metre-long rockfall barrier at Holtsnúp beneath the Eyjafjöll mountains will be put out to tender in the coming weeks, with construction expected to begin this spring.
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration has been monitoring this location for some time and commissioned the design of the planned structure following a tragic fatal accident at the site in March 2025.
Relocating the road has also been considered as a long-term solution, but this option would be significantly more costly.
There are numerous known rockfall hazard sites along Iceland’s national road network, and protective structures have been installed at several of them, but there is a need for many more such measures.
Hringvegur undir Eyjafjöllum. Í fjarska sést Holtsnúpur.
Holtsnúpur is a known rockfall hazard area, and since the fatal accident in March, rocks have fallen from the slope on two occasions, most recently in December, creating a dangerous situation when a driver struck the debris.
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration commissioned the design of a rockfall barrier at Holtsnúpur last year. The plan involves excavating a so-called “catchment trench” into the slope along a 300-metre stretch and constructing a two-metre-high gabion rock wall between the slope and the road. These consist of steel mesh cages filled with rock. The total cost of the project is estimated at around ISK 80 million.
There are 86 known rockfall hazard sites along Iceland’s road network, and protective barriers have been installed at five of the most critical locations. Nearly 100 incidents have been recorded over the past 25 years in which vehicles have struck fallen rocks. Of these, six resulted in minor injuries and the rest caused no injuries. Each year, between 30 and 60 cases of rocks on roads are recorded, and it is considered fortunate that more people have not been injured.
There are therefore many locations around the country where landslide and rockfall risks exist. For example, a large boulder fell onto the Ring Road from Mount Reynisfjall last December, and it was fortunate that no one was hit. However, traffic volumes are particularly high at Holtsnúpur, with an average of around 2,700 vehicles per day. This made it essential to prioritise funding for rockfall protection at this site.
There is a widespread need for special safety measures across the road network. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration maintains a register of all sites requiring such measures and prioritises projects based on risk and available funding.
Betur fór en á horfðist þegar ökumaður ók á grjót sem féll úr Holtsnúpi í desember 2025.
