Netherlands tightens A27 Merwedebrug lorry ban: 215 fines in five days

Dutch road authority Rijkswaterstaat and the national police issued 215 fines in a five-day operation at the Merwedebrug on the A27 near Gorinchem, running from 2026-08-17 to 2026-08-21 and focused specifically on foreign-plated lorries. The result was confirmed on 2026-08-24 and carried into the international trade press this week. It matters now because the summer holidays end across the Netherlands and its neighbours in the coming days, and freight volumes on the corridor are expected to climb.

Why the bridge is shut to heavy vehicles

The Merwedebrug between Gorinchem and Sleeuwijk carries the A27 over the Boven-Merwede. Testing found that the steel in the arch structure is weaker at several points than engineers had assumed, so structural safety could no longer be guaranteed for heavy traffic. Lorries and coaches have been banned since 2026-07-18 at 17:30. Cars, scheduled buses and emergency vehicles still cross, and keeping heavy loads off the deck is what allows the bridge to stay open for everyone else.

The numbers behind the enforcement push

Compliance with the A27 Merwedebrug lorry ban in the Netherlands is high but not complete. In its 2026-08-24 update, Rijkswaterstaat reported that heavy goods traffic across the bridge had fallen by more than 97% since the ban took effect on 2026-07-18. Even so, roughly 500 lorries a day were still crossing as of that same update.

The authority is explicit that the target is zero. Each breach carries a fine of 500 EUR, part of the same 2026-08-24 enforcement update, excluding administrative costs from the Dutch central fines office.

For the sector as a whole, Dutch road transport association TLN (Transport en Logistiek Nederland) has put the cost of the Merwedebrug closure at about 1.5 million EUR per day and has been examining legal options on behalf of members.

What carriers should do this week

Two official detours apply around the closed A27 Merwedebrug in the Netherlands: A15 to A16 to A59, or A15 to A2 to A59. Dangerous goods must take the A2 route rather than the A16, so ADR planning needs a separate rule in your routing profile rather than a single blanket diversion.

Rijkswaterstaat announced extra signage measures for the closed bridge in early August 2026. By its 2026-08-24 update, it had posted warning signs in 10 languages at border crossings and approach roads, plus message trailers along the route. It has also placed traffic marshals at the Avelingen on-ramp and the Werkendam exit on weekdays between 06:00 and 22:00 to stop rat-running. If you are recosting Benelux lanes around the longer routing, check current pump prices on the Dutch diesel price page and confirm the applicable limits on the Netherlands HGV speed limit guide before you reprice the leg.

What happens next

The visible roadside operation has ended, but camera enforcement continues and the police can carry out unannounced checks at any time, as reported this week . Rijkswaterstaat expects traffic to rise once the holiday period closes and says it is working through scenarios for further measures with regional stakeholders. Operators that have already absorbed detour costs may qualify for the Dutch nadeelcompensatie scheme, a government compensation mechanism for businesses harmed by public infrastructure measures. Plan Benelux runs around the diversion for the rest of 2026, and factor the seasonal restriction calendar into your schedules using the Netherlands holiday and restriction calendar .

If you need Benelux capacity priced with the A27 diversion already built into the routing, get a quote from Logifie or join the Logifie carrier network to run these lanes with transparent payment terms.