14.11.2018
Today, the minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, inaugurated the road expansion A27/A1 between the sections Utrecht-Noord, the intersection Eemnes and the connection Bunschoten-Spakenburg. ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects is involved in the trajectory design of the motorway A27 and responsible for the architectural design of the A27/A1 project. As the motorway A27/A1 cuts through an area of outstanding natural beauty and runs close to a number of residential areas, extra attention has been given in the design to ecology and local residents.
Road expansion A27/A1
Due to the expansion of the motorways A27 and A1 with extra lanes, the traffic flow to and from Utrecht and Amersfoort has improved considerably. Serious traffic jams at the junctions are now a thing of the past. The intersections Hilversum and Bilthoven have also been adapted, viaducts have been widened and a new bicycle bridge has been built crossing the motorway A27. The large fauna tunnel at Monnikenberg under the motorway A27, designed by ZJA, ensures that the habitats of reptiles, amphibians, bats and mammals are connected to increase their habitat.
Attention for nature, road user and local residents
The design ZJA provided for this stretch of the motorway A27 aims to find subtle additions and adaptations to the existing structures of the viaducts and flyovers, in order to underplay the expansion of the motorway as much as possible, using balanced ratios between volume and light. This all to give the landscape due attention, to offer the motorists a clear overview and to make sure that the residents experience minimal inconvenience.
The highway and the landscape
To integrate the elements of the bridges and the noise barriers of the motorway A27 into the landscape of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug they have been colored light brown, as set out in the routing design 'Panorama Route A27'.
The motorway A1 has a very neutral color scheme of concrete, glass and gray metal and should above all emphasize the open landscape of the Arkenheem-Eemland. All interventions here have been done very carefully. Slimness and transparency are the essence of this design.
Photographs: AEROVISTA, Rijkwaterstaat, Ton Bosboom
