The approach of the A59 is in danger of becoming a strong financial nozzle for the province and the municipalities of Heusden and Waalwijk. The costs rise to 220 million euros, 98 million euros more than originally estimated, according to documents in the hands of Omroep Brabant. In the Heusden city council, last week was still strongly discussed about whether the substantiation of the project was not outdated.
Brabant politics already determined the plan for the so -called Oostelijke Langstraat in 2018. After lawsuits of local residents and environmental organizations, the Council of State ruled in January this year that the plans are now in order. Those plans mean that four of the nine entrances and exits of the A59 disappear. The province wants to construct nature, water and places for recreation and there must be a fast bike route and two ecological connecting zones.
Legal delay
The extra costs are due to the delays after the many lawsuits around the project, according to the documents. For example, materials to implement the plans have become more expensive, more shortage on the labor market has changed, the market conditions have changed and the shifting of cables and pipes has become more expensive.
The lectures of the province and municipalities of Heusden and Waalwijk will discuss this week the costs incurred and the proposals for which the municipal councils and provincial states will be asked for more money. The exact distribution still has to be determined, but it may be 40 million euros extra for the province and around 30 million euros for both municipalities. A spokesperson for the province emphasizes to Omroep Brabant that no decision has yet been made.
Motion in City Council
Last week a motion was discussed in the Heusden city council, which was called upon to have a so-called ‘social cost and benefit analysis’ about the plans. According to Antoine Aarts of the Heusden Group, the data on which the plans are based are greatly outdated and it is a matter of ‘decent administration’ to see if the plans are still up-to-date are.
Councilor Marjo Stevens (PvdA) wonders: “Do we have this money for these plans in this way? Is it a socially responsible investment? We can’t oversee that now,” said the councilor. Parties of the
Alderman Thom Blankers (VVD) is afraid that this new investigation will again have a major delay for the project. Several parties shared those worries, so that the motion did not reach a majority. The alderman points out that an external consultancy is involved in the plans and the city council will soon be updated in a separate session about the current state of affairs. Later the formal application to the municipal councils and the provincial states for the extra credit and the political discussion is conducted, it is not yet known when that is exactly.