New A24 highway opens as Netherlands’ first electronic toll road
The A24 highway, connecting Vlaardingen and Rozenburg and known as the Blankenburgverbinding, officially opened Saturday afternoon. It marks the first highway in the Netherlands to implement electronic toll collection.
The exact opening time of the A24 was not announced ahead of the ceremony. The launch featured an official program led by Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener. Following the event, road workers conducted final inspections of the highway and its systems before removing all barriers to traffic.
Using the A24 comes with a toll fee of 1.51 euros for cars and vans, while trucks and other heavy vehicles pay 9.13 euros. Payments are processed electronically via three private service providers or the e-Tol website. Motorists who fail to pay the toll initially receive a reminder at no additional cost during the first year. From the second year, an 8 euros penalty will be added to unpaid tolls.
The Blankenburgverbinding project began in 2018 and includes two tunnels, the new A24 highway, and connections to the existing A15 and A20 routes. The total cost of the project reached 2.2 billion euros. Due to insufficient government funding for its construction, the electronic toll was introduced as a revenue mechanism.
The toll system is projected to generate 392 million euros. Once this target is met, the highway will become toll-free.
In addition to the A24, tolls are currently levied in the Kiltunnel near Dordrecht, the Westerscheldetunnel in Zeeland, and on a bridge in Nieuwerbrug. The ANWB also highlights the Wijkertunnel on the A9 under the North Sea Canal, where tolls are indirectly paid by the government to private investors.
