The village and the municipality have known for a long time that the Zijtak in Odoornerveen is not a very good road. But since the new connection to the N34 came into use last year and the road connects directly to it, traffic on the Zijtak has increased, according to local residents. According to them, the road is rapidly deteriorating, creating dangerous situations.
Arjen de Ridder has enjoyed living in the village for almost 37 years. He also fully supports the choice to construct a new connection to replace the exit Emmen-Noord. But a dangerous situation arises in front of his door, says the resident.
“Grass tiles have been laid here, so that the trucks that have to make a wide bend get space. But with the result that they also drive next to it, resulting in roadside damage with very deep holes,” De Ridder shows. “And if you look further on, you see the same problem everywhere. Half of them drive next to the roadway instead of on it. They drive over the expulsion stones in the curve to pass each other.”
“This road is not made for that,” says the resident of Odoornerveen. “A lot of tourist traffic passes here. Motorcyclists, cyclists. You make it a dangerous road instead of the most beautiful road in Drenthe.”
A few hundred meters further on, De Ridder shows two huge potholes in the road. “This is the saddest thing for me,” he says. “This is life-threatening. I sent this to the municipality with photos attached. I then get the answer back: Yes, the Zijtak is part of the long-term maintenance plan. We may get around to it one day.”
A fellow villager stops. “Those holes are so deep, you can start a jacuzzi in them,” says De Ridder to the woman. “Yes, those holes are really deep, aren’t they,” she replies.