Days of heavy traffic due to school holidays, Amsterdam Marathon, Rotterdam roadworks
The coming days will bring heavy traffic to many parts of the Netherlands. The infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat expects busy roads on Thursday and Friday due to school holidays starting in some parts of the country and coming to an end in others. Major roadworks will have the A15 in Rotterdam closed for ten days. And the TCS Amsterdam Marathon means many streets in the capital will be inaccessible for parts of Sunday.
Schools in the Centrum and Zuid regions of the Netherlands close for autumn break on Friday, while the break is just ending for the Noord region. Rijkswaterstaat anticipates that this will cause higher-than-usual traffic volumes on Dutch roads on Thursday and Friday as families either head out or return from holiday. Evening rush hour may also start earlier than typical.
In addition to holiday traffic, ongoing roadworks will further disrupt traffic. The A15 highway south of Rotterdam will be closed from Friday through October 26 due to asphalt resurfacing. Rijkswaterstaat warns of extra travel time on weekdays of up to one hour.
Roadworks are also happening on the A2 toward Den Bosch between the Everdingen and Deil interchanges. And the A59 between Waalwijk and Oosterhout will be closed in both directions.
The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is also happening this weekend, with the main event on Sunday. “In addition to providing a great running experience, the marathon will also have an impact on local traffic,” the municipality warned.
Early on Sunday morning, the city will place barriers along the streets that make up the race route. “We ask motorists to park their vehicles elsewhere before 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17.” No parking or stopping will be allowed behind the barriers, and violations will result in a fine or the car being towed.
On the streets along the marathon route, cars will be permitted to pass until 45 minutes before the first participant arrives. Streets will be reopened to traffic approximately 30 minutes after the final participant has passed through. A full overview of the route and the streets that will be closed is available on the municipality’s website.