N33 – N34 Gieten junction has not become busier than before the corona crisis in 2019. This is what deputy Henk Jumelet of traffic said in response to questions from the CDA in the Provincial Council. According to the CDA, it is getting busier and the party is concerned now that the Asserstraat between Eext and Rolde is closed, because then even more traffic will use the traffic circle at Gieten.
According to CDA member Sonja Hilgenga, this will lead to a significant increase in traffic problems. Traffic jams arise at the entrances and exits of the roundabout, which are not always clearly visible, mainly due to the height differences in the road. According to residents of the municipalities of Aa and Hunze, there have already been a number of collisions.
Jumelet: “Counts show that traffic has not increased and is the same as in 2019. The number of accidents and the causes are also the same. In 2023 these were mainly rear-end collisions, just like in 2022 and 2021.” These collisions with relatively few serious injuries often take place in short traffic jams on the N33 on the southern and northern sides of the traffic circle, as previously shown by the province’s measurement data.
Jumelet therefore does not want to take new or separate measures, but will continue with the plans for tackling the junction and the partial doubling of the N34. CDA member Sonja Hilgenga would like to see warning signs placed, “because tackling the traffic circle will take some time.” Jumelet promised that he will have this looked at during a forthcoming study into traffic management during rush hour at the Gieten junction.
D66 faction leader Anry Kleine Deters asked Jumelet about the ‘pulling apart’ of the plans for the partial doubling of the N34 and the approach to the Gieten junction. “Are you letting go of that now and will this cause delays?” “No, and it will not be delayed,” said Jumelet.
The ‘Gieten only investigation’ came from former D66 Staten member Henk Pragt at the end of 2020 and he received broad support for it in the Provincial Council. Many proponents and opponents of partial doubling of the N34 agree on the theory that if you solve the traffic jam problems at the Gieten junction, you will also solve a large part of the flow problems on the N34.
If the traffic circle is tackled, there will be little money left for partial doubling of the N34. The original search by the Provincial Executive included three or four sections of road between Emmen and Zuidlaren 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.