215 fines in five days as trucks keep ignoring bridge ban

Enhanced checks on the A27 began on 17 August after hundreds of trucks continued to cross the weakened bridge each day, despite the ban having been in force for a month. Police issued 34 fines on the first day. After five days, the operation had resulted in 215 fines.

Rijkswaterstaat wants to eliminate the remaining heavy-vehicle crossings. The aim remains the same: zero trucks and coaches using the Merwedebrug.

215 fines in five days

Rijkswaterstaat and the police conducted the joint operation from 17 to 21 August. Officers focused on trucks with foreign registration plates because automated enforcement has so far been particularly difficult in these cases. Drivers caught breaching the ban were stopped and directed to a location where the necessary paperwork could be completed. The process could take about 30 minutes, particularly when an interpreter was required.

Police issued 34 fines on the first day. By the end of the five-day operation, the total had risen to 215. Drivers who breach the Merwedebrug ban face a €500 fine.

Truck traffic has fallen by more than 97%

The ban on trucks and coaches using the Merwedebrug came into force on 18 July 2026. It was introduced after concerns emerged about the strength of the bridge’s steel structural components. Heavy-vehicle traffic across the bridge has fallen sharply since then.

Rijkswaterstaat said after the operation that the number of trucks crossing the bridge had fallen by more than 97%. Even so, around 500 heavy vehicles still cross it each day in breach of the ban. That is down from the beginning of August, when around 1,600 trucks and coaches crossed the bridge daily. By mid-August, Rijkswaterstaat was reporting approximately 570 vehicles a day. Before the restriction, daily traffic stood at roughly 18,000 trucks.

The fall is significant, but the road authority still considers it insufficient. Rijkswaterstaat says that keeping the bridge available for other vehicles for as long as possible requires truck and coach traffic to fall to zero.

The end of the operation does not mean the end of enforcement

The visible police operation has ended, but drivers should not interpret this as an easing of the rules. Camera-based enforcement remains active, and police can carry out further unannounced roadside checks.

This is particularly important for international carriers. Issuing automatic fines to foreign-registered vehicles based on camera footage remains more complicated than enforcing the ban against vehicles with Dutch plates. That is why roadside stops played an important role during the latest operation.

Rijkswaterstaat expects traffic to rise after the holidays

Rijkswaterstaat is already preparing for the next phase. The holiday season in the Netherlands and neighbouring countries ends towards the end of August. The authority expects freight traffic on the roads to increase as September begins, including in the area around the Merwedebrug.

The situation will be monitored closely. Rijkswaterstaat is working with other stakeholders and local authorities to assess different scenarios and consider additional measures. No details have yet been given about the solutions that could be introduced.

Signs in 10 languages and traffic controllers

Fines and cameras are only part of the enforcement system. Rijkswaterstaat has also installed information signs in 10 languages at border crossings and on approach roads. Additional signs were placed at entrances, exits and roads running beneath the motorway, while pictograms reminding drivers of the ban were added to existing signs.

The ban is also communicated on electronic overhead signs. Traffic controllers at the Avelingen entrance and the Werkendam exit are helping to prevent restricted vehicles from continuing towards the bridge.

The ban remains in force

The conclusion of the five-day operation does not change the rules at the Merwedebrug. Trucks and coaches are still barred from using the crossing, and drivers who ignore the restriction face camera monitoring and possible police stops.

The figures show that measures introduced in mid-July have had a clear effect: truck traffic has fallen by more than 97%. However, with around 500 unauthorised crossings still recorded each day, Rijkswaterstaat does not consider the problem solved.

Pressure on the route could rise again after the holiday season. The infrastructure authority therefore plans to continue monitoring the situation and has not ruled out further action against drivers who disregard the ban.