Starting this month, the province will tackle four underpasses on Westfrisiaweg. Heavy rainfall has caused problems since the road opened at the end of 2018. The water is not drained properly, resulting in large puddles and dangerous situations for road users.
On June 25 of this year did it go wrong, it was confirmed after a message from 112 West Friesland. A motorist slipped near Hoogkarspel in the tunnel where there were large puddles at that time after a heavy rain shower. According to a provincial spokesman at the time, the combination of heavy rain and pollution of the grids that have to drain the water was the problem.
“After an earlier report of puddles in the tunnel, our road stewards immediately went in that direction and closed one lane. The wells were then cleared. Large amounts of water also cause a greater amount of pollution in the wells, which made the flow even more difficult. .”
Structural problem
Despite the road and tunnels being only four years old, the spokesperson acknowledged that it is a structural problem. “During heavy rainfall, it sometimes wants to prevent a puddle of water from forming at the bottom of the tunnel bins (lowest point), but our road stewards are very attentive to this. Safety comes first.”
Starting next week, the province will start tackling the tunnel bins one by one. These are the ones on the Wogmergouw, Oostergouw and the Strip in Zwaag and the Noorderboekert in Westwoud. New gullies, sewers and pavement are being constructed to solve the problems.
Several weeks of diversions
We start with the Wogmergouw (Zwaag). The underpass will be completely closed during the works between 12 and 30 September. Traffic is being diverted via signs, with a possible delay of five to ten minutes.
Between 24 October and 4 November, the rainwater drainage at the Oostergouw (Zwaag) and the Noorderboekert (Westwoud) will be overhauled. De Strip (Zwaag) will be next from 7 to 18 November 2022. Traffic will then be diverted. Bus lines 636, 514 and 132 follow an alternative route.