The A28 near Hoogeveen has been closed in a southerly direction since this afternoon due to expected slippery conditions. The highway is likely to remain closed around the railway tunnel for days. Highway users from Assen towards Zwolle must take a detour.
“The road surface is freezing due to water on the road and the low temperatures,” reports a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat. “It will simply be an ice rink. There is no arguing with that. We understand that this is annoying, but because of the slippery conditions, safety comes first.”
The spokesperson cannot yet say when the road will reopen. “But I expect until the frost is out of the ground. Then you will already be in the weekend, or possibly afterwards. It will only get colder now.”
Traffic from Assen is diverted from the highway at Pesse and can drive towards Meppel via the N375. Motorists who normally turn onto the A28 from Hoogeveen will be diverted via Fluitenberg, past the airport towards the A37. From there they can drive to the connection with the A28.
Traffic from Hoogeveen can follow the diversion route via Fluitenberg and the airport to the A37 and then the A28.
The stretch of highway near the railway tunnel in Hoogeveen has been a concern of Rijkswaterstaat for years. Water remains on the road due to a combination of the joints used and the pressure from below by the groundwater, the spokesperson explains.
Recent maintenance has attempted to prevent this. Next year another attempt will be made to make the road winter-proof.