Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) is sounding the alarm: many outdated roads, bridges and locks urgently need to be renovated, but more than 34 billion euros is too little available for this. What about in Brabant? And where will work be done in the coming years? An overview.
The south of the Netherlands (Brabant and Limburg) is the region where most work needs to be done, according to maps published by RWS on Monday. The locations are divided into several categories: places where work is not taking place for the time being, where work is being done and locations where measures are already in place.
Delayed work/increased inspection
Postponed work refers to locations where maintenance is required, but the work cannot yet be planned for the next three years. The reasons: too little money, not enough staff or it is not convenient due to other projects. This category also includes projects that undergo additional inspection. In Brabant this applies to almost forty projects, such as the Taxandria tunnel near the A2 around Den Bosch.
There is no postponed work at the Taxandria tunnel, but an increased inspection. It turned out earlier that the foundation there is fragile. In 2023 it turned out from research that there is a chance that the tunnel will collapse, although that chance is small. These types of locations are also subject to extra checks.
Another place that will have to wait a while is the Oosterhoutse Bridge near the A27 near Oosterhout. Also striking, because in April the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management said that maintenance on that bridge had priority because the bridge is vulnerable. This also applies to the Cadettencamp bridge (on the A27 near Breda) and the Railway Viaduct (on the A67 near Geldrop).
Projects paused
There are also projects which have been put on pause in 2024 and which remain on hold for the time being. This involves the widening of the A2 between the Deil and Vught junction, the innovation lane (a kind of experimental exit lane) on the A58 and the A67 between Leenderheide and Gelddrop, and the widening of the A58 between Eindhoven and Tilburg.
This is due to the problems with nitrogen, rising prices in construction and because there are too few construction workers available.
Planned maintenance
Then there is also maintenance that is already planned for 2026. We will see work in these places, but when exactly that will be is still unclear. This concerns approximately thirty locations where we will notice the impact of maintenance, such as the Moerdijk Bridge and the Heusdenhout viaduct (near Breda).
Work is also underway on the A2, A17 (for example between Klaverpolder and Noordhoek), A58 (between Batadorp and De Baars), A59 (between Hooipolder and Empel junction) and A27 (between St. Annabosch and Hooipolder).
Maintenance is also taking place on the A4 (between Sabina and Willemstad), A50 (between Paalgraven and Ekkersrijt), A73 (between Rijkevoort and Zaarderheiken). The road is paved in most places.
Roads with restrictions
Finally, there are places where warnings are already in place or measures have been taken. Bridges are so old that heavy cars or trucks are no longer allowed to cross them, for fear of dangerous situations.
In our province, such a warning applies to motorists in few places, according to RWS data. They are also not major traffic arteries. This concerns, for example, the bridges over the Wilhelmina Canal near Tilburg and the Salesdreef Bridge near Terheijden.