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ZOETERMEER – From 13 May, a weight restriction will still apply on an important traffic artery in North Holland (N9). The A7 near Purmerend was previously closed to professional freight transport. This means that two of the three major traffic arteries (north-south) have a weight restriction and therefore freight transport has to detour with all its consequences, TLN reports on its website on Monday.

It is once again a signal that the infrastructure is under heavy pressure and needs to be addressed. “With a view to the upcoming harvest season, the weight restrictions on the N9 and A7 will cause additional inconvenience to freight transport. From the Kop van Noord-Holland there is a large flow of agricultural products that are processed elsewhere in the country. Every week we receive messages from Rijkswaterstaat about sudden restrictions on important (regional) connections. The impact on freight transport is significant and creates difficult situations for the surrounding area. The unpredictability is extra annoying, you wonder where the next limitation is”, says Machiel Smit of evofenedex.

“We are in good contact with Rijkswaterstaat, but it is too much at the same time, with varying degrees of success in communication and the speed with which solutions are found.”

The reason for the closure is that cracks were discovered during an inspection in the ceiling of a culvert under the N9, which was subsequently labeled as structurally unsafe. As a result, Rijkswaterstaat is forced to secure the diver in the very short term. The measure that Rijkswaterstaat will introduce is a weight restriction of 7 tons maximum axle load on the N9 section from the Huiswaarderweg intersection (N245) to the next intersection with the Kogendijk (Bergen exit). Freight traffic will therefore have to use the diversion on the N245. It is still unclear how long the axle load restriction on the N9 will be necessary.

“That lack of clarity is precisely the problem,” says Wessel Deelstra of TLN. “Now that more and more connections fail due to overdue maintenance, it is desirable to have (emergency) solutions ready quickly and to learn from previous situations. The nuisance due to the restriction on the A7 Purmerend viaduct has been going on for more than half a year now and the end does not seem to be in sight. And also for the diver in the N9, there is no idea at all about the possible duration of a replacement or repair.” Long-term diversion routes for freight traffic are undesirable, as this leads to more unsafe situations, unreliable travel times, many extra kilometers (and therefore extra emissions) and higher costs for entrepreneurs

Good news about the Viaduct A7

Yet there is also good news. A solution has been found for the problems in the A7 Purmerend Viaduct and a team is being set up by Rijkswaterstaat to get to work. This is not a temporary emergency solution, but a permanent solution. However, it is not yet clear how long it will take before the shovel will go into the ‘ground’. evofenedex and TLN have frequently asked Rijkswaterstaat to draw attention to the problems and will again keep a close eye on the situation.