It might have been better to listen to the residents

“We have built bridges like this before that have proven successful, but it is quite clear that something has gone wrong,” says Pálmi Þór Sævarsson, regional director for the Icelandic Road Administration in West Iceland, about the bridge over Ferjukotssíki that collapsed yesterday due to high water levels in the Hvítá River.

He admits that perhaps they should have listened more closely to the criticism of residents in the area who believed that the bridge would never withstand the glacier runs that could occur. But an announcement on the Icelandic Road Administration’s website from yesterday states that bridges of this type cannot withstand a sudden and heavy lateral load, like the glacier run that probably occurred last night.

The bridge is new, but it was put into use in June 2023. It was supposed to be temporary after an older bridge was damaged in floods in February of the same year. It was expected to last 10 to 15 years.

"The idea was to build this bridge because a larger structure is much more expensive and requires more construction than we had at our disposal there. It is on our to-do list to design and rebuild the road from Ferjukot to the ring road. A new bridge is in the works, but it will be maybe five to ten years before that construction can begin," Sævarsson says about the reason why such a temporary bridge was built.

"Nobody listened to us"

The bridge is a single-lane steel bridge, with a timber floor and rests on a timber pile foundation, according to the Icelandic Road Administration's website. Similar bridges were built over Steinavötn lakes and Múlakvísl River and stood for the time they were in use, without any problems.

Heiða Dís Fjeldsted, a resident of Ferjukot, said in an interview with mbl.is yesterday that residents had criticized the construction of the bridge at the time, but they were not heard.

"Everyone around here said that such a bridge would never work, as it was decided to be built. Even those who were up here from the Road Administration and did the work, they didn't think it would work. But nobody listened to us, so we're annoyed about this," she said.

The foundations would never withstand it when the glacier ice would start coming from Norðurárdalur.

The bridge collapsed yesterday morning.

The bridge collapsed yesterday morning. Photo/Kristín Jónsdóttir

Another location possibly better

Sævarsson says that there will be a better review of what happened yesterday when the bridge over Ferjukotssíki collapsed.

Wouldn't it have been good, in retrospect, to have listened to the people who live there?

"Yeah, definitely. But we haven't quite figured out what happened. There's more water under there. Maybe it would have saved things if it had been located differently."

If there had been more concern about the residents views?

"Yes, possibly. I can't say anything.”

He points out that there were two bridges over the Ferjukot Canal, both of which were damaged by flooding in February 2023. They were both demolished and it was decided to fill the gap with a temporary bridge where the longer bridge was located.

“As in everything, people are just trying to do their best in this project like anywhere else.”

Next week, what needs to be done will be announced

The bridge is still under water and Sævarsson says that we need to wait until it subsides to be able to assess what needs to be done to bring it back up.

“It is clear from the pictures we have received that the pillars on one side have buckled. There is probably something damaged and something useless that needs to be renewed and reviewed. We are waiting for that to start with. Then we will assess the situation and go over the details of how we will respond.”

He expects that it will be known next week what improvements need to be made.

It is still expected that it will be possible to cross the canal, but a work road was recently installed to bypass it during the construction.

It should not be long before it will be possible to get around the area again.

“We are primarily thinking about servicing them in Ferjukot. This is not a main route, this is not a trunk road or a main travel route. For most people, this shortens distances, but the greatest inconvenience is for those who live there.”

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