A popular mountain road in East Iceland, Öxi or Axarvegur (Road no. 939) is only suitable for well equipped 4x4s and mountain trucks due to mud and poor conditions caused by melting snow. The road is used by many drivers as a shortcut on the Ring Road. It shortens the distance between Djúpivogur village and the town of Egilsstaðir by 71 km (44 mi).
Öxi is not serviced year round and it becomes impassable in the spring. Municipalities and residents in East Iceland have been calling on the Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority to repair and improve the road for more than 10 years, but the IRCA has lacked funding to improve the road.
The mayor of Djúpivogur shared the following video of conditions on the road yesterday. Despite the atrocious conditions dozens of cars drive the road each day. Nearly 400 cars drive the road each day in summer.
Read more: All roads in Central Highlands are closed or impassable
The video should serve as a reminder that driving conditions on mountain roads and other less traveled trails in Iceland become extremely difficult in the spring. Remember that if conditions are this bad on roads which are actually open to traffic, they are even worse on roads which have been closed to traffic!
Read more: Photos: Travellers in a compact car get stuck on mountain route 66 only suitable for trucks
A popular mountain road in East Iceland, Öxi or Axarvegur (Road no. 939) is only suitable for well equipped 4x4s and mountain trucks due to mud and poor conditions caused by melting snow. The road is used by many drivers as a shortcut on the Ring Road. It shortens the distance between Djúpivogur village and the town of Egilsstaðir by 71 km (44 mi).
Öxi is not serviced year round and it becomes impassable in the spring. Municipalities and residents in East Iceland have been calling on the Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority to repair and improve the road for more than 10 years, but the IRCA has lacked funding to improve the road.
The mayor of Djúpivogur shared the following video of conditions on the road yesterday. Despite the atrocious conditions dozens of cars drive the road each day. Nearly 400 cars drive the road each day in summer.
Read more: All roads in Central Highlands are closed or impassable
The video should serve as a reminder that driving conditions on mountain roads and other less traveled trails in Iceland become extremely difficult in the spring. Remember that if conditions are this bad on roads which are actually open to traffic, they are even worse on roads which have been closed to traffic!
Read more: Photos: Travellers in a compact car get stuck on mountain route 66 only suitable for trucks
