Rail projects also halted
The cabinet is suspending all projects related to the construction or expansion of roads and rail connections. The nitrogen problem, together with the shortage of personnel and experts and the high prices of materials and energy, means that building new connections or expanding existing connections is impossible or impossible. Maintenance work – of which there is still enough to be carried out – will continue.
Last Budget Day, the cabinet allocated €12.9 billion for improving the road network and €1 billion for the maintenance of existing road infrastructure. Today it appears that part of those billions can remain in the state coffers or can be spent elsewhere. The ministers are putting an end to all new construction and expansion projects in rail and road construction, Minister Mark Harbers said after today’s Council of Ministers, according to De Telegraaf. A combination of factors – the nitrogen problem being the main one, but also the high prices and the shortage of personnel – currently make it impossible to continue building (within budgets and standards). It is currently unclear how long the work will be put on hold.
Maintenance work will continue and can count on part of the budget made available for the realization of new projects. That in turn is positive news, because there is work to be done, especially in the west of the country – where many bridges and tunnels require large-scale maintenance or replacement. New construction projects that contribute to road safety (such as the renovation of an intersection) or that are necessary to open up a new residential area will, however, continue.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl