It is a course that the PVV and the VVD in the Provincial Council have been on for some time: if there is not enough money for the partial doubling of the N34, then Drenthe will have to borrow it. The PVV wants to double the entire route and borrow the necessary money in full.
PVV submitted a motion seeking money for the widening of the provincial road. That motion only received support from a quarter of the members of the states. PS sees nothing in the plan and does not want to borrow for the motorway.
The PVV wants an investigation into how much credit is needed for the entire doubling. That amount was once 290 million euros, but that was long before the inflation crisis and the sharply increased construction costs in recent years. The PVV also wants to know what the financial consequences would be for the province if the money were borrowed.
PVV member Bert Vorenkamp insists on the flow and safety of what he calls the ‘death road.’ As far as he is concerned, doubling is the only option for this. “You can spread a loan for the road over thirty or forty years.”
Traffic deputy Henk Jumelet focuses on where the province left off: first tackling the problems at the N33-N34 Gieten traffic circle.
If the traffic circle is tackled, there will be little money left for the partial doubling of the N34. The original search by the Provincial Executive included three or four sections of road between Emmen and De Punt of twelve kilometers. But GS put an end to that at the beginning of 2020 after extremely increased construction costs and inflation.
90 million euros are available. After tackling the Gieten traffic circle, there is still money left for a maximum of six kilometers of doubling. But that could also be only 3.4 kilometers. That depends on how the traffic circle is redesigned. A fly-over over the roundabout costs more than 50 million, leaving just under 40 million of which you can tackle six kilometers of road. If a shifted flyover is chosen, you will lose more than 67 million and only about 22 million will remain, of which you can double a maximum of 3.4 kilometers.