Speed limit back up to 130 km/h on Afsluitdijk today, 2 more highways later this week

From today, the daytime speed limit on the Afsluitdijk is again 130 kilometers per hour. During the week, the speed limit will also be increased back to 130 km/h on the A7 between Winschoten and the German border and the A6 between Lelystad-Noord and the Ketelbrug, Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener announced on Monday, RTL Nieuws reported.

Increasing the speed limit back to 130 kilometers per hour is one of the first plans the Schoof I coalition announced. The PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB included the plan in their coalition agreement. But it quickly proved more complicated than anticipated due to the noise and nitrogen pollution.

Madlener eventually had to admit that the speed limit increase would only happen on a “limited number of routes” and for “a limited distance” outside the Randstad. In October, the Minister announced four routes where the speed limit could increase, covering only 117 kilometers of the Netherlands’ total 4,884 kilometers of highway.

It involved the A7 Afsluitdijk between Stevinsluizen and Lorentzsluizen in both directions (44 km), the A7 between the Winschoten junction and the German border (24 km), the A6 between Lelystad-Noord and Ketelburg (18 km), and the A37 between the Holssloot junction and the Zwartemeer junction (31 km).

The first three routes got the all-clear late last year. According to Madlener, the fourth announced route has also been cleared for increasing the speed limit. This will happen later this year.