After 2.5 years of construction, the Alexiatunnel in East Hilversum will finally open tomorrow. Actually, the huge construction project would take eighteen months. Residents of the Oosterengweg have therefore had a construction site in front of the door for a long time. So for them there is literally and figuratively light at the end of the tunnel.
Ria de Jong is one of the residents on Oosterengweg and has a view of the construction site from her home. Although she could be bought out or given another temporary home, the Hilversumse decided to stay in her house with three others, with the result that she has a construction site in front of her for 2.5 years. In addition to being a resident, De Jong is also a councilor in Hilversum.
Where they have also had to deal with the construction site in front of the door for a long time is the Viore Center, a meeting place for people with cancer, their next of kin and relatives. 2 years ago, the center moved from next to the Tergooi Hospital on the Van Riebeeckweg to the Oosterengweg, so they ended up in the middle of the work.
Few complaints
Both are very much looking forward to the moment that the work in front of the door disappears. “Our visitors had a hard time finding us, but we did our best with signs. We also had noise pollution, but you get used to that,” says Danielle Warnier of Viore. “I had little inconvenience. There was a moment when we had to leave our house for a while because of large machines in front of the door. But that was it,” says Ria.
They are also very pleased with the guidance of authorities. “Every time we got letters about what was going to happen and sometimes they came to the door unexpectedly to explain what they were going to do at that moment,” explains Warnier.
Traffic
But it’s not all positivity. According to De Jong, there are a number of residents who are concerned about the transition for pedestrians and cyclists at the intersection between Jan van der Heijdenstraat, Kamerlingh Onnesweg and Oosterengweg. It would be placed very close to the opening of the tunnel, where the cars come out. “But that remains to be seen.”