Emergency quay repair forces Amsterdam to close part of Oudezijds Voorburgwal

Motorized traffic is blocked from a stretch of Oudezijds Voorburgwal in the center of Amsterdam for safety after it was discovered that the quay wall is unstable. It is still unclear how or when the municipality will repair the quay, according to Het Parool.

A routine check showed that part of the quay wall between Oudezijds Armsteeg and the Lange Niezel, which was not reinforced in 2018, is drifting toward the canal. This caused the municipality to urgently close the area to any traffic besides pedestrians and cyclists with temporary roadblocks, which will be replaced next week by poles.

Motorized traffic will take a detour on the other side of the canal for now. The stretch of street is also barred to people disembarking from tour boats, according to Het Parool.

Deteriorating quay walls and sinkholes have become an increasing challenge for the city in recent years. A quay wall in front of a University of Amsterdam building collapsed in early September, although it had just been repaired in May.