From tonight, July 3, until 17 August, Rijkswaterstaat (the national roads authority) is closing a stretch of the A1 towards Amsterdam for major maintenance.
The A1 is one of the country’s busiest motorways, running from Amsterdam all the way to the German border via Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, and Hengelo, according to Rijkswaterstaat.
The section closing now sits right at the start of that route, in the Gooi region east of the city.
What’s actually closing, and when
From 11 PM tonight (Friday, 3 July) until 5 AM on Monday, 17 August, a major stretch of the highway between junctions Eemnes and Muiderberg will be closed.
Rijkswaterstaat is using the closure to replace asphalt and expansion joints, repair the road surface, and carry out work on several bridges and viaducts, according to its project page.
However, the good news is that slip roads are shutting in phases, so the local road network doesn’t get overwhelmed all at once:
- Until Monday, 27 July at 5 AM, the Naarden-West and Naarden-Vesting slip roads will stay open, while the rest will close.
- Between 27 July and Wednesday, 5 August at 7 AM, every slip road in the closed section shuts.
- From 5 August until maintenance is completed, only Naarden-West will reopen.
Several roads around Naarden’s historic fortress and the IJsselmeerweg will also run one-way traffic at points during the works. It’s worth checking the exact dates and times on Rijkswaterstaat’s route page before you set off.
Diversion routes and alternative transport
If you’re driving, here’s how Rijkswaterstaat is rerouting traffic around the closure:
- From the north and east of the Netherlands: traffic is rerouted well before the Eemnes junction to stop long queues building up ahead of the closure. Traffic from the east specifically is diverted via the A28, A27, A12, and A2.
- From Amersfoort, Huizen, Laren, Blaricum, or Eemnes: the main diversion runs via the A27 and A6.
- From Hilversum, Naarden, or Bussum: separate local diversions apply. Signs and roadside message boards mark the routes along the way.
Public transport will also get a much-needed boost during the closure. Regional buses in het Gooi will run on a denser timetable, meaning more buses and more room than you’d normally get.
Why is this happening?
Rijkswaterstaat is using the closure to replace the asphalt and expansion joints along this stretch of the A1.
Expansion joints are the flexible seams built into a road surface to let it shift slightly with temperature changes, and over time, they wear out and need replacing.
Are you commuting to or from Amsterdam this summer? How will you be managing the closure? Drop your tips and advice in the comments.
