Last Sunday, glowing lava emerged from a fissure in the earth near the Icelandic coastal town of Grindavik for the fourth time since December 2023. This also disrupts the Grindavíkurvegur, a main road in the southwest of the island that leads to the city and ends there.
To restore the transport link to Grindavik, the Icelanders on Thursday started repairing the Grindavíkurvegur, which was interrupted by lava and also leads to the well-known tourist attraction Blue Lagoon.
Construction workers have started building a new route over the still-hot lava, which is covered in a thick layer of gravel, with smoke rising in some places due to the heat of the lava below. A reporter from the Icelandic television channel RUV reported this on Thursday.
“Sometimes reminds me of other planets”
“Of course it is very hot here, but we have learned a lot from our work here and know what we can and cannot do and what is even possible. Although sometimes it reminds me more of other planets than of Earth,” says Einar Már Gunnarsson, the construction manager of the company that completed the road. This is the first time that a road has been built over lava while the volcanic eruption is still ongoing.
The route is more or less in the same place as the previous road. It will probably be ready to ride after the weekend, Gunnarson says. He explained that authorities would ultimately decide when traffic on the Grindavíkurve will be allowed again. Measuring points have been set up for monitoring – because conditions can change very quickly, reports an Icelandic news agency.
The future of Grindavik is uncertain
The coastal town of Grindavík is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 55 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik. Four volcanic eruptions have occurred on the peninsula since mid-December last year. In January, lava even covered three houses on the northern edge of the city of 4,000 residents. The future of the community is uncertain.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
