Easter weekend approaches: Busy roads expected Thursday

Motorists can expect busy roads in the Netherlands on Thursday afternoon and evening. As the long Easter weekend starts, traffic jams will be longer and start earlier, public works department Rijkswaterstaat expects. The first traffic jams are expected to start forming around 2:00 p.m., NU.nl reports.

Rijkswaterstaat expects that this year's Easter traffic will be even worse than last year, when there was a total of 300 kilometers of traffic jams on Dutch highways. The biggest problems will be on the A1, around Amersfoort and Hoevelaken, and the A12 and A50 towards the Veluwe. Many tourists are expected to head that way this weekend. 

The A12 highway near Arnhem will also be busy, with Dutch and German tourists causing extra traffic. "Recreational traffic merges with regular commuter traffic", Rijkswaterstaat said.

The public works department expects that The Passion, performed in Dordrecht on Thursday evening, will also lead to busy roads.