The Dutch cabinet is preparing to cut billions of euros from infrastructure spending and will require municipalities and provinces to cover the cost of expensive bridges and viaducts on their own, according to De Telegraaf.
The plans, reported Thursday, are part of a broader effort by the cabinet to make hard choices this week to keep the country's most important infrastructure standing, as described by AD.nl. Infrastructure minister Karremans is aiming to save 2.3 billion euros on infrastructure projects, according to Noordhollands Dagblad.
Under the approach reported by De Telegraaf, local and regional authorities would have to fund "luxury" crossings themselves rather than relying on national money. The reporting does not specify which projects would be affected or how the savings would be distributed.
The measures come amid wider concern about the state of Dutch roads and bridges, with NPO Radio 1 reporting on which infrastructure projects should be given priority. Autoblog framed the same question around which Dutch bridges and roads minister Rob Jetten will be able to save.
The full details of the cabinet's decisions, including which projects will be prioritized and which costs will shift to local governments, have not yet been confirmed in the reporting.
What to watch next: the cabinet's final decisions this week on infrastructure spending and how municipalities and provinces respond to being asked to pay more themselves.
