The bridge to nowhere. A road to nowhere by Gerry van Roosmalen

At Skeiðarársandur in southern Iceland stands a bridge that has lost its purpose. The Skeiðarábrú was opened in 1974 and at the time formed the final link in the Ring Road around Iceland. With a length of 904 metres, it was the country’s longest bridge at the time.

In 1996, the bridge was hit by one of the largest jökulhlaups in Icelandic history. A massive flood wave from Vatnajökull reached a peak discharge of approximately 50,000 cubic metres of water per second. Ice blocks and millions of tonnes of sediment were swept across the sandy plain. Part of the bridge disappeared, but the structure largely remained intact.

Afterwards, the river changed its course. From then on, the water flowed mainly via the Gígjukvísl, and the Skeiðarábrú was literally left high and dry. In 2017, the bridge was permanently decommissioned.

Today, the bridge, almost 900 metres long, lies silent in the black landscape. No more traffic, no destination, just memories of a time when this bridge connected Iceland with itself.

To me, this special place deserves the status of a monument. Not only because of its history, but because the bridge itself has become part of the landscape and the stories it has shaped.

A bridge with no destination. A Road to Nowhere.