Chaos stays out: morning rush hour survives A12 closure surprisingly well

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The asphalt between Veenendaal and Utrecht is getting a major upgrade and as a result the A12 in the direction to Utrecht is closed until May 19, 05.00 hrs. As if that were not enough, the A1 near Amsterdam is also open between Watergraafsmeer and Diemen. However, a complete traffic jam remained out this morning for the time being.

It did start early with delays. The A1 from Apeldoorn and the A15 from Nijmegen were jammed: two popular detour routes for everyone who normally drives to Utrecht via the A12. At Stroe and Barneveld it was a matter of connecting: eight kilometers of traffic jam, good for half an hour extra travel time. It was also slow on the A15, especially near Tiel.

Busy rush hour, but no drama

Although it looked bad on paper, there was no real traffic chaos. According to the Department of Public Works, there were no real major traffic jams for the time being. The ANWB even calls the situation “anything but reasonable”. That does not mean that everything went smoothly. On the A29 near Oud-Beijerland things went wrong Monday morning due to an accident. One lane had to be closed for emergency services, resulting in a thick traffic jam. And if that wasn’t enough, the Heinenoordtunnel also became the scene of a chain collision moments later. Two lanes closed, twelve kilometers of traffic jam, one and a half hours of delay. The morning rush hour got a serious tailspin.

Rest of the week

What the rest of the week brings? If the weather is bad, the Tuesday rush hour hits and there is another accident here and there, things could go wrong just like that. So follow Rijkswaterstaat’s advice: work from home or take the train or a bike.

Also read: A12 closed next week: here’s what you need to know