Major roadways flooded in the east and northeast Netherlands

Major roads in the east and northeast of the Netherlands were regularly flooded due to heavy rainfall in recent days, the ANWB travel association said. On Friday morning, the N345 from Zutphen to Apeldoorn and the N36 between Almelo and Ommen were closed because there was too much water on the road surface. Freezing temperatures expected this weekend could create a perilous situation.

The N345 was closed in one direction near Zutphen. The road may remain closed until Tuesday. A spokesperson for ANWB could not know explain why the closure would take so long.

The N36 was closed in both directions near Vriezenveen, with traffic diverted off the highway, and then back on again. It was expected that the problem would be resolved late on Friday morning so that traffic can flow again.

Neither of the two situations caused many traffic jams on Friday morning.

The pooling water may have occurred because the water cannot drain properly, or because it is leaking onto the road from a higher viaduct, the spokesperson said. It can be dangerous to drive through a larger, seemingly shallow body of water at high speed. The speed limit on both roads is 80 kilometers per hour.

This is not the first time such flooding has happened in the region in recent days, he said. No other parts of the country faced a situation where major A-roads or N-roads roads were impassable due to water on Friday, the ANWB SAID.

Subzero temperatures were predicted for most of the country, including the east and northeast. This will likely lead to icy roadways in the region.
That can make the situation even more dangerous. More alertness and caution will be needed when driving, and the ANWB said it was monitoring the situation closely.