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Extreme traffic congestion expected around Amsterdam in 2025

Extreme traffic congestion expected around Amsterdam in 2025

Amsterdam traffic will be heavily disrupted for most of 2025 due to large-scale maintenance work and major events taking place throughout the year. To prevent hour-long standstills, the number of cars on Dutch roads needs to be reduced by at least 20 percent, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat).

Several road closures to impact Dutch transport

The municipality of Amsterdam, Rijkswaterstaat and ProRail have a long list of maintenance to be done in and around the Dutch capital during the coming year. Work will be done on highways, tunnels, connecting roads, train stations, bridges and junctions, resulting in multiple closures for transport. 

The biggest impact will be felt between May and October 2025 with some routes being closed for extended periods of time. "If we were to do everything only on weekends, we would be 50 weekends short,” Niels van den Brink, traffic manager at Rijkswaterstaat told NOS.

Apart from maintenance and building work, large events such as the Party on the A10 ring road to celebrate Amsterdam’s 750th birthday, SAIL and the NATO summit in The Hague will also cause havoc on Dutch roads as visitors flood through the area. 

One in five drivers need to leave Dutch roads 

To prevent traffic from coming to a complete standstill while all these roadworks are being implemented, various measures are being put in place. The Dutch organisations involved are urging drivers to travel via public transport or by bike, travel together or less frequently. 

The plan is to reduce traffic by 20 percent, which is expected to be a challenge as in the past peak summer periods traffic was only reduced by 10 percent. "20 percent is a huge challenge," said Amsterdam traffic alderman Melanie van der Horst. "Everyone has to realise that something is really going on, not everyone can continue to travel as usual."

Navigation services will keep drivers up to date on the latest closures and possible detours, while discount campaigns offering savings for shared transport and public transport travel will serve to lessen the number of cars on the road. 

Planned work around Amsterdam in 2025

Here is a list of the planned disruptions in Amsterdam itself and around the city for the next year:

City of Amsterdam

  • IJtunnel - Closed for maintenance for three weekends in March
  • Middenweg and Linnaeusstraat - Major maintenance until March 31 and from June 23
  • Raadhuisstraat to Mercatorplein - Major maintenance for the whole of 2025

Highways

  • A1, Watergraafsmeer-Diemen interchange - Major maintenance from May 9 to 26
  • Connecting curve A10 South to West and lanes A10 South - Closure from May 28 to June 2
  • Connecting curve A10-A8 - Weekend closures in June
  • A10 East, Amstel-Watergraafsmeer interchange - Major maintenance from June 26 to July 12
  • A10 South, De Nieuwe Meer-Amstel interchange - Works from June 26 to July 12
  • A10, 2nd Coentunnel - Closure from July 12 to September 15
  • A4, De Hoek-Burgerveen interchange - Major maintenance in the summer
  • A10 East, Watergraafsmeer-Amstel interchange - Major maintenance from September 19 to October 6
  • A9 Badhoevedorp-Holendrecht - Weekend closures until May and from October
  • Zuidasdok project, Ring South - Weekend closures all year round

Train tracks

  • Schiphol Rail Tunnel - Work until May and from October
  • Amsterdam Centraal - Work in March and April
  • Amsterdam Zuid Station - Work throughout the year

Major events

  • Festival on the Ring, June 20-23 - Part of the A10 closed
  • NATO summit in The Hague, June 24 and 25 - Road closures at certain times
  • SAIL, August 20-24 - Crowds and traffic congestion expected

Thumb image credit: Aerovista Luchtfotografie / Shutterstock.com 

Simone Jacobs

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Simone Jacobs

Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working...

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