Traffic that has no business being in the city center of Coevorden should eventually be able to drive around the city more easily. To achieve this, the municipality is starting with a plan to extend the new access road on the south side of the city. “This will soon create a complete ring road around Coevorden.”
This is what councilor Jeroen Huizing (CDA) says. The new part of the road must connect to the recently completed access road that connects the N34 with the Leeuwerikenveld industrial estate. “Now that the first part (from the N34 to the De Hulteweg, ed.) is ready, the big challenge follows to continue and also build part two.”
The second part runs straight from the De Hulteweg, over the Coevorden-Vecht Canal, to connect to the Brookdiek just over the German border. Huizing does not yet dare to make any concrete statements about when that missing piece of asphalt will be available. “But we will first start with an extensive exploration.”
The municipal budget, which the mayor and aldermen presented this morning, now includes a ‘preparation credit’ of 75,000 euros for that research. With that money, Coevorden will conduct studies into different variants of the desired route for the Southern Rondweg Coevorden (ZRC), as the project is known in official documents.
It must also become clearer during the preparation phase what this new project will cost and whether co-financing from other parties – such as the province of Drenthe – is possible. Huizing makes no secret of the fact that this is a challenge. “We have to travel by road over the railway and over two canals, so expensive bridges are needed for that.” Alderman Joop Slomp (PvdA) jokingly adds: “Maybe we should take a look on Marktplaats to see what such a bridge costs.”
Huizing continues: “This is a longer-term project, in which we also have to deal with the interests of, among others, Defense and Germany.” One of the possible routes runs over or close to a military base south of Coevorden. “In addition, the road will probably also pass through German territory.”
That will be on the Europark Coevorden-Emlichheim side. The municipality is already conducting discussions about this in the neighboring country. “We will continue this consultation. A good road around the city also offers opportunities for Germany, so we are positive about this. German traffic can also take a detour via this new ring road, thanks to a direct connection to the N34.”
It is crystal clear to the councilor that Coevorden wants to continue with this ring road plan in the coming years. “This traffic project is a priority for us. Especially if we want to relieve the burden on the city center, there must be a logical alternative, especially for freight traffic, in the long term.”