Red X signs are set to be a familiar sight this year above the A10 Zuid, starting at the end of May. This kind of closure is planned well in advance. As far as possible, closures are also scheduled at quiet times, such as school holidays and weekends, to prevent unnecessary disruption. But this is not always possible, as in the case of the 16-day closure of the A10 Zuid in the direction of the A1 Hengelo/A2 Utrecht from 26 June until 12 July. This is because it is not only Zuidasdok but also the Public Works Department (Rijkswaterstaat, RWS) that needs time for works, in this case on the A4 and the Coen tunnel.
A4 and A10 Zuid closures in Ascension week
The next closure will be from 28 May until 2 June 2025. We will be closing two lanes on the A10 Zuid in the direction of the A1 Hengelo and A2 Utrecht. From the A4 and A10 Zuid, it will also not be possible to access the A10 West in the direction of Zaanstad and there will be no trains at Amsterdam Zuid station.
Pieces of a puzzle
Around a year in advance, Buitink and his team receive the schedule from the contractor: ‘We start by comparing the schedules for the reconstruction of the De Nieuwe Meer and regeneration of Amsterdam Zuid station: how do we combine as much work as possible within a single closure? We then agree the overall schedule with RWS, which has planned a lot of maintenance work in 2025 in and around Amsterdam. The final pieces of the puzzle are added by the City of Amsterdam, GVB and ProRail, and only then will the schedule be confirmed in our agenda.’
Taking a look on location
Before every closure, Buitink and his colleagues use complex traffic models to predict the disruption and potential bottlenecks. As Buitink confirms, experience and common sense are both important ingredients in the process: ‘The A10 Zuid is part of a network of roads, so we take a close look at the whole network on the map. We often take a look on location: where will the problems start if we close road X? What measures could we take to ensure traffic continues to flow as far as possible?’
Devising solutions
Earlier this year, Buitink and his team came up with the idea of a ‘bypass’ via the S107 when the road connecting the A10 Zuid to the A4 was closed: ‘Because we closed the viaduct to traffic from the city and from Amsterdam West, traffic from the A10 Zuid was able to turn on the viaduct at the S107/Henk Sneevlietweg, in the direction of A4, without obstruction.’
Measures
As the date of the closure approaches, Buitink gradually finalises all the details. ‘For example, for the closure around Ascension, we’re hiring four breakdown companies in order to clear the road as quickly as possible after any accident. We’ve also installed three or four privacy-friendly cameras in places where we know from earlier closures that there could be congestion, such as at Hoofddorpplein.’ Agreements are being made with public transport providers, and of course with the emergency services. ‘Especially in the city centre, ensuring that ambulances have free access at times of congestion is a complex process’, says Buitink, ‘so we ensure that the traffic lights are green more often at the most congested places.’
Prepared for the journey
Car drivers, motorcyclists or truck drivers can also ensure that they are well prepared for their journey. ‘Be sure to request personal travel advice from the travel information service Ask&Go, simply by using WhatsApp’, Buitink advises all readers. ‘Then you don’t need to worry about alternative routes yourself. And make sure you use the navigation systems that we know for certain have been updated: TomTom Go, Waze, Apple Maps.’
The closure
The big test for all of the schedules, puzzles and measures is, of course, the closure itself. ‘Unfortunately, you can’t always prevent an accident’, explains Buitink. There are also plenty of times when things go better than anticipated, as they did when the delay on the A9 diversion route during a previous closure turned out to be 20 minutes instead of the 30-60 minutes expected. Buitink laughs: ‘That’s actually what makes my work as a traffic manager so enjoyable. No two days are the same.’
Zuidasdok: plenty of work in 2025
In 2025, we will be working at pace on the widening of the A10 Zuid and the regeneration of Amsterdam Zuid station. View the details of all current disruption here. Here, you can view a total overview of the major disruption we expect in 2025 (pdf, in Dutch).
Personal advice from Ask&GO
Request personal travel advice from Ask&Go. You can also sign up to receive a WhatsApp alert about an upcoming closure. Ask&GO can be accessed via WhatsApp: 085-0659091. Or scan the QR code below.
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