New delays and traffic jams due to roadworks near Utrecht
There is still heavy traffic on the roads around Utrecht on Saturday afternoon due to roadworks. This had already caused heavy traffic on the roads throughout the city late into the night on Friday. In Nieuwegein, where the cars were stuck, municipal employees handed out cookies and water to road users.
The A2 near Utrecht towards the south is closed this weekend until Monday at 05:00 a.m. Rijkswaterstaat is replacing the asphalt there with a quieter variant.
On the alternative route to the south, on the A27 on the east side of the Domstad, there was an 11-kilometer traffic jam just before 3 p.m., and the delay was almost half an hour. An ANWB spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that there were also traffic jams on roads in Nieuwegein. "If you want to get on the motorway from there, it's just very difficult. Because the slip roads are full, it's difficult to merge."
However, a spokesperson for the municipality of Nieuwegein calls the situation in the town "manageable." In consultation with Rijkswaterstaat, traffic controllers will be deployed in the coming period, just as on Friday. Omroep Brabant reported, based on a source at Rijkswaterstaat, that shortcuts are also being closed in Nieuwegein, but a spokesperson for the municipality could not yet confirm this.
Traffic on the east side of Utrecht, between Hilversum and Hagestein, is expected to increase even further on Saturday. "Normally, on a Saturday, it is at its busiest around 4 p.m.; after that, it should decrease," the ANWB spokesman said earlier Saturday.
Reporting by ANP
