Worst evening rush hour this year with 1,100 kilometers of traffic jams

People taking to the roads after work on Wednesday likely found themselves stuck in the worst traffic of the year. There were over 1,115 kilometers of traffic jams on the major Dutch roadways by 5:35 p.m., with the situation having quickly deteriorated. The record for the year was already broken about 45 minutes earlier with over 950 kilometers of clogged up highways.

"For many people, the long Ascension holiday weekend is beginning. Most traffic jams are in the center and south of the country," said travel association ANWB. Many workers in the country not only have the holiday on Thursday, but also an extra day off on Friday. The long weekend also led to long lines at Schiphol Airport, which should continue for the foreseeable future.

Drivers taking to the roads Wednesday evening can expect about an hour of delays to make the 115-kilometer journey from The Hague in the west to Arnhem in the east, according to infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat. Traffic was particularly heavy on the A12 from The Hague to Utrecht due to an accident involving a passenger car.

Traffic was backed up for 127 kilometers on the A2, including a 56 minute delay from Boxtel to Waardenburg, and a 64 minute delay from Utrecht to Den Bosch, according to the ANWB. People trying to get from Amsterdam to Apeldoorn on the A1 can also expect an extra half-hour of travel time, as can those trying to get from Luik to Amsterdam using the A2. Those on the A27 near Huizen also wound up in a delay of over an hour.

Rijkswaterstaat said that drivers were stuck in stop-and-go traffic at best, or a total standstill at worst, at various points on highways across the country, including on the A1, A2, A4, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A12, A13, A15, A16, A20, A27, A28, A29, A35, A50, A58, A59, A73, A76, and the A325.