A chaotic roundabout in the heart of Ørestad is set to disappear. Copenhagen Municipality has announced plans to replace the traffic circle at Ørestads Boulevard and Tom Kristensens Vej with a signal-controlled intersection — a move designed to improve safety for cyclists and streamline the massive soil transport heading toward the Lynetteholm construction site.
A Conflict Zone Between Bikes and Cars
The roundabout has long been one of Ørestad’s most problematic traffic points. Functioning as a key connection between the dense traffic of Inner Copenhagen and the motorway network toward the rest of Denmark and Sweden, the junction routinely experiences heavy congestion and dangerous encounters.
During peak hours, cyclists actually outnumber cars by nearly two to one. Major routes — including the PLUSnet cycle corridor and the Supercykelsti Ørestadsruten — funnel riders directly through the roundabout, often clashing with vehicles attempting to enter or exit the circle.
For many commuters on two wheels, the location has become synonymous with stress, unpredictability, and close calls.
To reduce conflict, the city plans to convert the roundabout into a fully signalized intersection. The new light system aims to synchronize movements more smoothly and offer cyclists uninterrupted green-light phases.
Additional improvements include:
- A dedicated cycle bypass giving cyclists coming from Amager Fælled a shortcut to turn right toward Ørestad Syd without waiting for the light.
- Wider waiting areas to prevent backups on the bike lanes when signals turn red.
- New trees and greenery to compensate for the removal of the central island in the current roundabout.
While the facelift clearly improves cyclist safety, the project serves another major purpose — one that stretches far beyond Ørestad.
A Main Route for Lynetteholm’s Mountain of Soil
The roundabout has also been a deterrent for heavy trucks. Many drivers avoid the location entirely, choosing instead to cut through residential streets along Artillerivej and Røde Mellemvej, much to the frustration of local residents.
By replacing the roundabout with a more predictable, signal-controlled intersection, the municipality hopes to make Ørestads Boulevard the preferred corridor for truck transport. This upgrade is crucial: the boulevard has been designated as one of three main routes for hauling enormous quantities of soil to Lynetteholm — Copenhagen’s decades-long artificial island project, expected to be completed around 2070.
According to the Technical and Environmental Administration, soil typically arrives via the Amager Motorway before moving north across Amager toward the Lynetteholm site.
Even though the redesign increases road safety, it has sparked criticism from residents and the Amager Vest Local Committee.
Their main concern is not the intersection itself, but the redirection of heavy truck traffic through Amager. Critics argue that soil should be transported by sea rather than through dense urban areas, urging politicians to revisit the transport strategy.
However, officials emphasize that the new intersection enhances safety regardless of traffic load — and that decisions about land-based soil transport were made long ago in other political processes.
Two more roundabouts still await reconstruction
With approximately 18 million DKK set aside for the work, the municipality is preparing to rebuild the northernmost Ørestads Boulevard roundabout.
But this is only the first of three roundabouts slated for conversion to improve truck access. The remaining two, located closer to DR-Byen and the future M5 Metro line, are tied up in complex infrastructure planning — including the construction of a new metro station.
In a separate note, the administration says it remains in dialogue with Metroselskabet to find a workable solution, though it admits that the process will take time. Politicians will therefore decide next week whether to delay the first reconstruction so all three intersections can be rebuilt simultaneously — possibly pushing the timeline several years into the future.
