It was exciting for a while, but the province of North Holland managed to complete the work at the Pade intersection with the AC de Graafweg for the party crowds. The road will be open again on December 21, but a speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour will still apply in the coming period.
The deadline of December 8 was not met, it was previously announced. Recent bad weather caused delays. Due to the heavy rainfall and the cold, not all layers of asphalt could be applied. “We are doing our best to open the intersection up to the ovonde (an oval roundabout, ed.) before Christmas,” the province said last week.
Normally it is not recommended to pave in winter temperatures. Now some smart solutions have been devised. “We are making adjustments to the asphalt mixture of the covering layer and we hope to be able to continue by the end of this week.”
The province has worked hard to open the intersection before the holidays. And it worked. “We will open the entire process on December 21, 2023,” a spokesperson now says.
However, there will still be a speed limit in the coming period. “Because the verges are still soft, a speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour will apply in the coming period. In some places, including the intersection with Pade, the markings are still missing. To ensure safety, the most necessary markings are being installed. Keep take this into account,” the province warns.
‘Waiting for accidents’
Adrie Vlaar, chairman of the Hoogwoud Village Council, is satisfied now that the work has come to an end. He previously sounded the alarm when the closure of the intersection caused a lot of inconvenience in Hoogwoud and Opmeer. “It’s an accident waiting to happen,” he sighed. “Cyclists cannot actually cycle here. They have to use the footpath, but residents do not want that and place bins there. People no longer dare to pass here. It is much too busy.”
The municipality of Opmeer anticipated this with various measures. For example, the traffic lights were adjusted. “I’m happy that it will open again and that no accidents have occurred,” Vlaar says now. “The work is now moving towards the Verlaat and the ovonde at the Langereis. People who want to go to Alkmaar must find an alternative route. But that is already the case. I am happy that peace is returning to our villages.”