Billions spent on major maintenance of roads, bridges and locks

ANPThe construction of new steel cables on the Galecopper Bridge in the A12 near Utrecht

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 15:30

The extra money for new infrastructure will be spent in the coming period on major maintenance of bridges, viaducts and roads. The construction of new roads or other infrastructure projects has largely come to a standstill, mainly due to nitrogen problems. As a result, no additional construction is allowed for the time being.

Minister Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management does not want to leave the reserved money on the shelf. All kinds of bridges and viaducts in the Netherlands have passed their useful life and need a major overhaul. Due to the heavier transport, roads are also more heavily loaded.

“Travellers should no longer have to deal with major disruptions or bridges that spontaneously break,” says Harbers. He wants to make the existing infrastructure “more stable”, so that travelers no longer suffer from broken bridges or locks.

In total, about 5 billion euros per year is available for the upcoming maintenance. It is not yet clear which new projects will not take place for the time being. This is not only due to the nitrogen crisis, but also to rising costs and a shortage of personnel. Research must show what is and what is not possible.

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