This article covers road transportation in Iceland.The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration http://www.vegagerdin.is/vefur2.nsf/Files/Landid_nr/$file/Landi%C3%B0_nr.xlsx retrieved March 26. 2016
History
As late as 1900 Iceland had only a few miles of roading suitable for wheeled transport, mostly located in the southern regions of the island. A network of bridle paths permitted travel and transport elsewhere. In 1884 a Norwegian expert was brought in to organise the construction of proper roads. Beginning in 1888 a series of iron bridges were constructed to cross major rivers.Page 231, Volume 14, The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition In 1894 a Road Act was passed classifying Icelandic roads into four categories. The first were "High Roads" (also called "National Roads") that were entirely funded by the state. The second were "Provincial Roads" that were funded by the provinces except where they were could be used for carriage-transport, in which case there were subsidised by the state for up to half their cost. The third category was that of "Parish Roads" which were of local importance and funded by individual parishes. The fourth category was "Mountain Roads", which cross mountainous and upland regions and were largely bridle-paths marked by stone-cairns erected at the expense of the state.
Annual expenditure of road-building rose from 23 thousand krónur on average between 1876 and 1893 to 1,859 in 1939, and between 1899 and 1929 a total of 159 bridges of 10 metres in length or longer were constructed. In 1913 the first motor-vehicles arrived in Iceland, with the number reaching more than 400 in 1925. By 1933 around 3,000 km of motor-routes had been built on the island, with around 3000 motor cars being in use on Icelandic roads by 1935 according to one estimate. A different estimate published by the British Royal Naval Intelligence division put the total length of roads in Iceland in 1936 at 4,400 km, of which 2,800 km were motorable, with nearly all the motorable roads being in the coastal regions in the west of Iceland. The same Naval Intelligence study put the total number of motor vehicles on the island at 2,225 in 1940, of which 835 were motor cars, 1,120 trucks, and the rest buses and motor cycles. This network of motorable roads linking Reykjavik to Akureyri was central to the German invasion plan under Operation Ikarus, which relied on motorised troops landed at Reykjavik and Akureyri to advance quickly along it in order to take control of the island in four days.
By 1942 regular bus-services were operating between Reykjavik and Akureyri on the northern coast, with the journey taking two 12-hour days if conducted entirely by bus. At the same time a private company also operated an internal bus service for the Reykjavik area called Strætisvagnar Reykjavikur, operating around 20 single-decker buses.
Road types
National roads Roads belonging to the national highway system are maintained by the Icelandic Road Administration. They are categorized into the following types:
Primary Road (S) - all roads belonging to the so-called Grid Icelandic transport. Primary highland road Secondary road (T) - are the roads that connect institutions and tengivegi, and are generally over 10 km in length. Local access (H) - Roads to individual farms and regional connections that do not qualify tengivega (district roads with four-digit numbers are not listed here). Highland (L) - ways that can not be considered for any of the above standards, as well as all mountain roads.
Other roads F roads are unpaved tracks that may only be driven in vehicles with four-wheel drive. Some include unbridged rivers that must be forded. Trying to drive on an F-road with a normal passenger car means a large risk of being stuck outside of phone coverage and is a breach of Icelandic traffic law, for which one can get a fine.
Road numbering scheme
The Icelandic road numbering scheme is made up of eight numbering zones which divide the island and mostly follow the division into regions. Each numbering zone has a number which determines what the first digit of the number is.
Division by zones The first digits of the numbers are divided as follows (see Regions of Iceland): The Ring Road which circles Iceland has the number 1 and it is the only number starting with number 1 (there are no such numbers as 10-19 or 100-199). Numbers starting with 2 are in Eastern South Iceland, which is divided by the Þjórsá river. Numbers starting with 3 are in Western South Iceland, which is divided by the Þjórsá river. Numbers starting with 4 are in Reykjavík and vicinity and on the Reykjanes peninsula. Numbers starting with 5 are in West Iceland. Numbers starting with 6 are in the Westfjords. Numbers starting with 7 are in Western North Iceland, which is divided in the middle of Tröllaskagi peninsula. Numbers starting with 8 are in Eastern North Iceland, which is divided in the middle of Tröllaskagi peninsula. Numbers starting with 9 are in East Iceland.
Categorization by digits There are no numbers other than for the Ring Road (number 1) consisting of only one digit (there are no such numbers as 2-9). Other numbers can have two or three digits. They are divided as follows: Numbers with two digits are used on the main roads of the road system (other than the Ring Road). Numbers with three digits consist of other roads of significant length in the areas. There are also some numbers with the prefix F with either two or three digits, usually derived from similar non F-numbered roads (they can be an extension of said road). These numbers stand for roads which are generally impassable for vehicles which are not capable of four-wheel driving.
List of roads
Roads with one-digit numbers NumberFrom/toNotes1Via Reykjavík, Borgarnes, Blönduós, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Höfn, Vík, Hella, Selfoss and finally back to Reykjavík.Circular. Often called the "Ring Road."
Roads with two-digit numbers The first number (2 to 9) indicates the region of Iceland where the road is located. Number Name From To Notes22DalavegurBásaskersbryggja, Vestmannaeyjar harbourVestmannaeyjar Airport25Þykkvabæjarvegur1 at Hella275 at Þykkvabær26Landvegur1 near HellaKvíslavegurBecomes F26 Mountain Road north of ÞórisvatnF26Sprengisandsleið26 near at Versalir842 near Mýri/Bólstaður in Bárðardalur, North Iceland30Skeiða- og Hrunamannavegur1 east of Selfoss35 at Kjóastaðir31Skálholtsvegur30 at Sandlækur35 at SpóastaðirVia Laugarás and Skálholt32Þjórsárdalsvegur30 at Sandlækur26 near Sultartangalón33Gaulverjabæjarvegur1 at Selfoss34 near Stokkseyri34Eyrarbakkavegur1 at Selfoss38 north of Þorlákshöfn35Biskupstungnabraut1 at Selfoss732 near EiðsstaðirBecomes F35 Mountain Road between Gullfoss and EiðsstaðirF35Kjalvegur35 by Gullfoss1 at LangidalurFormer F35 is now road 35. Kjölur is on maps 22 and 2336Þingvallavegur1 at Mosfellsbær35 at ÖndverðarnesVia Þingvellir37Laugarvatnsvegur35 at Svínavatn35 near GeysirVia Laugarvatn38Þorlákshafnarvegur1 at HveragerðiÞorlákshöfn39Þrengslavegur1 between Reykjavík and Hveragerði38 at Sléttahraun40HafnarfjarðarvegurReykjavík41 at Hafnarfjörður41Reykjanesbraut450 at ReykjavíkLeifur Eiríksson Air Terminal at Keflavík International AirportVia Keflavík. To a large part built like a motorway.42Krýsuvíkurvegur41 at Vellir38 at Sléttahraun43Grindavíkurvegur41 near Vogar427 at Grindavík44Hafnavegur41 at Njarðvíkur425 at Hafnir45Garðskagavegur41 at Keflavik44 at HafnirVia Garður and Sandgerði4641 at Njarðvíkur41 west of KeflavíkFormer 41 through Keflavík.47Hvalfjarðarvegur1 at Saurbær1 at HagamelurFormer 1 around Hvalfjörður.48Kjósarskarðsvegur47 near Háls36 west of Þingvellir49Nesbraut1 at GufuneskirkjugarðurSeltjarnarnesVia Reykjavík.50Borgarfjarðarbraut1 near Grjóteyri1 at Haugar51Akrafjallsvegur1 at Hagamelur1 at Innri-HólmurVia Akranes52Uxahryggjavegur53 at Hvítarvellir36 at Þingvellir531 near Eskiholt50 near Hvanneyri54Snæfellsnesvegur1 near Borg á Mýrum60 near ÁlfheimarSnæfellsnesvegur, via Fróðárheiði - Ólafsvík - Grundarfjörður55Heydalsvegur54 at Tröð57 at Bíldhóll56Vatnaleið54 at Vegamót57 near Berserkjahraun5760 at Stóriskógur54 east of Ólafsvík58Stykkishólmsvegur57 near GríshóllStykkishólmur59Laxárdalsvegur60 south of Búðardalur61 near Borðeyri60Vestfjarðavegur1 at Dalsmynni61 west of Ísafjörður61Djúpvegur1 south of Melar630 at BolungarvíkVia Ísafjörður62Barðastrandarvegur60 at Smiðjunes63 at Geirseyri63Bíldudalsvegur60 near Ísufell62 at Geirseyri64Flateyrarvegur60 at Veðrara-YtriFlateyri65Súgandafjarðarvegur60 at BotnsheiðiSuðureyriF66Kollafjarðarheiði60 near Klettur61 at LaugabólF66 Mountain Road throughout entire length.67Hólmavíkurvegur61 near HólmavíkHöfðatún street, Hólmavík68Innstrandavegur1 in Hrútafjörður61 near Hólmavík6960 near Litla Holt68 near FjarðarhornStill marked on a road sign near Gilsfjarðarbrekka but the route seems renamed to 69072Hvammstangavegur1 near Stóri-Ós711 at Hvammstangi74Skagastrandarvegur1 east of Blönduós745 at Skagaströnd75Sauðárkróksbraut1 at Varmahlíð76 near NarfastaðirVia Sauðárkrókur76Siglufjarðarvegur1 east of Vellir793 at Siglufjörður77Hofsósbraut76 near Hofsós76 near HofsósGoes through the village of Hofsós where it changes to a street in the village and then back to road 7782Ólafsfjarðarvegur1 north-west of Akureyri76 at NýræktVia Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður. Goes through Múlagöng tunnel.83Grenivíkurvegur1 north of GarðsvíkGrenivík85Norðausturvegur1 near Kross1 at AxlirVia Húsavík87Kísilvegur1 at Reykjahlíð85 at LaxamýriF88Öskjuleið1 at Hrossaborgarlind910 near VíkursandurF88 Mountain pass throughout entire length.91Hafnarvegur í Bakkafirði85 south-west of BakkiBakkafjörður92Norðfjarðarvegur1 at EgilsstaðirNeskaupstaðurVia Reyðarfjörður and Eskifjörður93Seyðisfjarðarvegur94 at Egilsstaðir951 at Seyðisfjörður94Borgarfjarðarvegur92 at Egilsstaðir946/947 at Borgarfjörður96Suðurfjarðavegur1 Breiðdalsvík92 near BúðareyriVia Búðir97Breiðdalsvíkurvegur1 near Breiðdalsvík96 near BreiðdalsvíkGoes through the village of Breiðdalsvík98Djúpavogsvegur1 near DjúpivogurDjúpivogur harbour99Hafnarvegur1 near ÁrtúnHöfn
Roads with three-digit numbers The first number (2 to 9) indicates the region of Iceland where the road is located.