Weather warnings extended but roads less icy so far

By Janene Pieters on January 7, 2016 - 07:37
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A truck clearing snow from the road while spreading salt in Arnhem (Marco Derksen / Flickr). (A truck clearing snow from the road while spreading salt in Arnhem (Marco Derksen / Flickr))

Thursday morning is again starting out with icy roads in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, with a code red warning in effect for Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen until 11:00 a.m. For the rest of the country there were predictions of fog and limited visibility. But so far the traffic problems seem to be at a minimum. 

The Rijkswaterstaat responded en masse with gritters to spread salt on the roads. By 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the ANWB, the roads in the north are currently reasonably safe to drive on, but rain and maybe snow expected for this afternoon will make them slippery again. Traffic information service VID agrees with this, saying that the conditions on the roads in Groningen and Friesland are reasonably well, but warning that roads in Drenthe can still be very slippery.

A code orange warning for black ice and slick roads is also in effect for Overijssel and the IJsselmeer area until noon.

The current traffic situation across the country only shows minor problems, according to the ANWB. There is a 4 kilometer long traffic jam with a 3 minute delay on the A1 from Amersfoort to Amsterdam, between Amersfoort Noord and Eembrugge. On the A2 from Maastricht to Eindhoven there is a 2 kilometer jam between the Budel off ramp and Leende with a 3 minute delay.

There are two traffic jams on the A27. The first from Breda to Gorinchem - a 4 kilometer long jam between Hank and the industrial terrain Avelingen. Expect a 4 minute delay. The second is from Gorinchem to Utrecht, between Lexmond and Nieuwegein, 4 kilos long with an 8 minute delay.

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