The situation on the A10 Zuid is far from unique. Traffic congestion across the country reached record levels in 2024. Some 77% of all traffic jams happened during rush hour. This is why, in March 2025, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will launch its ‘spitsvrij’ campaign, calling on commuters to avoid rush hour. The ministry’s campaign will highlight the advantages of travelling off-peak and encourage people to discuss the possibilities at their workplace. The aim is to persuade road users to travel outside the peak periods (from 07.00 to 09.00 and from 16.30 until 18.00). And either to work from home on the particularly busy days of Tuesdays and Thursdays or to set off for work later.
10,000 vehicles per hour
For the A10 Zuid, this campaign has particular urgency. At peak periods on busy working days, as many as 10,000 vehicles per hour use the road in each direction. Around half of this is through-traffic while the other half is either travelling to or coming from the south side of Amsterdam. By separating through-traffic from local traffic at the De Nieuwe Meer and Amstel junctions, Zuidasdok will improve safety and traffic flow. But a lot needs to happen before that stage is reached. At the De Nieuwe Meer junction, we have started the process of road widening by building new viaducts, a flyover and new bridges. The project is scheduled for completion by 2031. At the Amstel junction, similar major changes are necessary. Construction work is yet to start and will take around eight years. In addition, the A10 will partially ‘disappear’ into a tunnel. This will make it possible to add extra railway tracks and boost capacity at Amsterdam Zuid station. Construction work on the tunnel is expected to start in 2027.
20% reduction in traffic on the A10
While we are carrying out all of this work, the A10 is mostly remaining open. Zuidasdok is not the only project involving works. On 18 December 2024, Amsterdam Bereikbaar (an alliance between the public works department Rijkswaterstaat, the City of Amsterdam, ProRail, the Province of Noord-Holland and Amsterdam Regional Transport) issued a warning that the traffic on this road will need to be reduced by 20% this year in order to prevent serious traffic disruption. This is because of work on the A10, A1, A4, Middenweg/Linnaeusstraat and at Amsterdam Central Station. Some major events are also happening, including the festival on the orbital ring road to mark Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, SAIL and the NATO summit in The Hague. In other words, ample good reasons for opting for an alternative form of travel or to re-time your journey if at all possible.
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