The first morning of the NATO Summit in the Netherlands has kicked off — which means morning commuters enjoyed some not-so-typical traffic disruptions.
By 7:50 AM, the ANWB (The Royal Dutch Touring Club) recorded over 50 separate traffic jams totalling more than 200 kilometres due to NATO-related road closures.
The A27, the highway around the provinces of North Brabant, Utrecht, South Holland and Flevoland had no less than 28 kilometres of queues.
Sounds like a lot, right? Well, surprisingly, according to the NOS, this actually wasn’t too bad. The Rijkswaterstaat predicted up to 500km of traffic during the rush hour.
What’s actually happening on the roads?
Several major arteries are completely closed for the summit. This is all part of what officials are calling the largest security operation in Dutch history, involving extensive coordination between police and defence forces.
As a result, the A44 and N44 towards The Hague have been shut since yesterday evening, while the A5 near Schiphol is closed in both directions.
On the A4 from Amsterdam to The Hague, multiple lanes have been closed to give world leaders and their delegations clear passage.
Still, you might want to work from home
If you’re someone who usually drives into the Randstad for work, this week might be the perfect time to test out that hybrid working arrangement you’ve been considering.
The Rijkswaterstaat has been warning about these disruptions for weeks, strongly advising people to work from home wherever possible.
For those who absolutely must travel, they’re recommending avoiding Randstad routes entirely and using public transport instead.
What to expect in the coming days
Wednesday brings even more closures. The A44 will be shut in both directions, and the N434 south of Leiden will also close.
The good news? All roads will reopen by 5 AM on Friday.
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