Traffic a mess as roads remain slippery

Icy roads are causing havoc with the traffic in the northern half of the Netherlands. There is a 41 kilometer traffic jam on the A28 between Zwolle and Hoogeveen, where several accidents happened on Wednesday morning, according to traffic information service VID. The ANWB reports that traffic is standing still in both directions. The highway near Assen was described as "one big ice rink" by people who took to the highway early on Wednesday morning, RTL Nieuws reports. The A7 in Friesland and Groningen is also very slippery. The Rijkswaterstaat decided to decrease the speed limit after the first five cars slid off the road. The icy roads are affecting the northern parts of the country, especially north of the line Alkmaar-Lelystad-Enschede. It is not affecting the morning rush hour in the Randstad. The slippery roads in the north and northeast of the country is expected to last until Thursday morning at least, according to the KNMI. A code orange warning is currently in effect for all of the northern provinces down to Gelderland and Flevoland. This warning remains in effect until noon, from where it is expected to be downgraded to code yellow.

Op de #A28 Zwolle <> Hoogeveen loopt 't flink uit de hand nu. Véél ongelukken. Verschillende vrachtwagens geschaard. #IJZEL

— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) January 6, 2016

https://twitter.com/TalithaPranger/status/684606977721397248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Tja. Daar gaan we weer. Dit is de #A28>Assen bij Zwolle. #spekglad #oppassen (Foto: @Stefanuzz) pic.twitter.com/ieyRxl9isP

— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) January 6, 2016

Aantal ongevallen op de A28 door gladheid als gevolg van ijzel. Pas op als je de weg op gaat. pic.twitter.com/DJFBEDSfKe

— Johann de Graaf (@JCdeGraaf) January 6, 2016