A2 Deil-Vught ranks first and second in Gelderland's top ten traffic jams
The A2 northbound between the Empel junction and Kerkdriel is the biggest traffic jam hotspot in the province of Gelderland. In second place is the same A2, but southbound (from Culemborg to the Deil junction and on to Zaltbommel). This is according to the ANWB's top ten traffic jam hotspots in Gelderland. The A2 ranks third nationally; new to the list is the A15 near Tiel.
The figures underscore what we experience every day: the accessibility of the Rivierenland region, the Northeast Brabant region, and the metropolitan regions of Utrecht, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Brainport Eindhoven is visibly declining. This has major consequences for the economic development of the central and southern Netherlands and for the quality of life in the region.
That is according to Antoine Walraven (mayor of Maasdriel and administrative leader of mobility in the Rivierenland Regional Executive) and Jacoline Hartman (alderman of West Betuwe and member of the A2 Steering Group on behalf of the Rivierenland Region).
A2 of strategic importance to the Netherlands
The previous cabinet decided to pause seventeen road projects—including the widening of the A2 Deil-Vught—due to a lack of nitrogen space, money, and manpower. To date, it is unclear when these paused projects will be restarted. "At the end of 2024, we agreed on a number of mitigating measures with the national government, but ultimately the A2 between Deil and Vught must be widened. Due to the rivers, it is the only fixed river crossing through Rivierenland and is of national and international importance," said Walraven and Hartman. "The consequences of the pause are significant: the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management calculated that the economic consequences are greatest in our region, where economic vitality will decline by 7%; other research shows that the traffic consequences of the pause will be noticeable between 20 and 50 kilometers in the surrounding area."
Alderman Roy Geers (’s-Hertogenbosch) adds: “In 2018, it was already predicted that this section of the A2 would become the worst traffic bottleneck in the Netherlands. This new top 10 list of traffic jams is a harbinger and confirmation of that prediction. The widening is not only essential to prevent traffic congestion, but also to prevent rat-running through residential streets, to keep the region accessible, and to keep the two most important economic regions (Brainport and Randstad) of our country connected."
A15 new in the traffic jam top ten
New in the top ten traffic jams is – in eighth place – the A15 near Tiel. “That doesn't surprise us either,” say Walraven and Hartman. "The A15 is one of the most important national freight transport corridors, but it has a number of bottlenecks that cause traffic jams on a daily basis, such as narrowings that slow down traffic and its east-west orientation (which causes dangerous situations during the morning and/or evening rush hour due to the sometimes low position of the sun, as braking traffic is seen too late).
The problems will increase in the coming years, because freight traffic is growing and the A15 will be extended to the A12 near Zevenaar, which will result in even more freight traffic choosing this route," say both directors.
Call
On April 2, 2025, the House of Representatives will debate with Minister Madlener about strategic choices for the accessibility of the Netherlands. "We call on the House of Representatives to pay close attention to the A2, the most important north-south connection in the Netherlands and of great strategic importance for the connection and accessibility of the Randstad, Utrecht, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Brainport Eindhoven," said the administrators from Rivierenland. "We call on the House and Minister Madlener to enter into discussions with us on how we can get the A2 out of its pause mode as quickly as possible, for example by phasing the approach."