River Hornafjardarfljot is short but voluminous.  It receives most of the glacial water from River Sudurfljot through the Vidbord Valley and the glacier snout Svinafellsjokull, and River Austurfljot, which supplies water from the glacier snout Hoffelsjokull.  The River looks more like a bay than a river, and before it was bridged, the people had to ford it on horseback and by car.

The bridge was built in 1961.  It was the second longest of its time (255 m) and is still a part of road no. 1 around the country.