The first of four weekends of maintenance work on the E19 between Antwerp and Breda (Netherlands) started on Saturday, and as expected, it is causing major hindrance.
The Flemish Traffic Centre (Vlaams Verkeerscentrum) has advised people who are planning to drive to Antwerp from the Netherlands to detour via the A12 between Antwerp and Bergen-op-Zoom because of maintenance works that are taking place on the E19.
On Saturday, at around 10:00 in the morning, drivers were already queuing at Kleine Bareel to the northeast of Antwerp city for almost two hours, as only one lane is open there. The Centre has advised drivers to avoid the area as there will be severe disruption all weekend.
Tweet translation: "This weekend there will be work and BIG disruption on the E19 from Breda to Antwerp at Kleine Bareel. Only one lane will be used there. Traffic from the Netherlands is advised to take the A12 from Bergen-op-Zoom."
The work will take place over four consecutive weekends until 23 October, meaning this will not be the last weekend of traffic chaos. Over the course of this month, the road surface will be renewed in the area between the slip road complex Kleine Bareel and the Antwerp-North interchange.
Every weekend, work will take place from Friday evening at 21:00 until 05:00 on Monday morning at the latest.
During the first three weekends, the work site will be in the direction of Antwerp, resulting in traffic in the direction of the city being redirected onto one lane in the construction site zone.
During the fourth and last weekend, work will be in the direction of Breda/Netherlands and there will be limited passage in that direction. Slip roads and exits at the usually traffic-heavy complex Kleine Bareel will be closed every weekend.
