On the A16 highway at the Terbregseplein junction in Rotterdam, the special strip for trucks and buses driving towards Hoek van Holland will disappear from this weekend. The so-called target group strip no longer appears to contribute to road safety, Rijkswaterstaat reports.
The strip, inaugurated in 1993, is a separate stretch of road for trucks and buses only. At busy times, trucks and buses are less troubled by traffic jams. The past period has shown that (near) accidents regularly take place at the intersection of the target group lane and the regular road because trucks change lanes at the last minute. These abrupt changes lead to a major risk to road safety, according to Rijkswaterstaat. Freight traffic will use the lanes for other traffic.
Due to construction work, the interchange, where the A16 and A20 motorways converge, will be closed from Saturday evening at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Traffic can make detours via A15 and A4 and must take into account an additional 10 to 15 minutes of travel time.
At the junction, work is currently underway on the extension of the A16 motorway. This will be extended for 10 kilometers and will end up on the A13 in the direction of The Hague. The target group strip at the interchange in the other direction will remain for a while, but will also disappear when the extension of the A16 is due to be completed in 2025.