On the night of Wednesday, October 22 to Thursday, October 23, 2025, a sinkhole was discovered during work in the median on the embankment of the A12 between Velperbroek interchange and the IJssel bridges near Arnhem. The hole is approximately 1 by 1 meter and at least 2 meters deep.
Traffic Disruption at Velperbroek Interchange (A12)
For safety reasons, we have completely closed the main carriageway on the A12 towards Germany. All traffic towards Germany is being diverted via Velperbroek interchange to the parallel carriageway over the IJssel.
One lane is available towards Utrecht. Traffic coming from De Liemers or Germany can still turn towards Velperbroek interchange. This situation will remain in place at least until Sunday, October 26.
Cause and Solution
The exact cause of the sinkhole in the median of the A12 is still unknown. Camera inspections have shown that the sinkhole in the median also extends under the carriageway.
We are removing the asphalt to get a clear view of the hole under the highway and thus the exact cause. This must be done carefully to avoid damaging the embankment and worsening the problem. Only when we have a clear view of the cause can we determine how to solve the problem.
We expect to be working on fixing the problem at least until Sunday, October 26. In earlier reports, you can read what exactly a sinkhole is.
Additional Details A12
On the night of Wednesday, October 22 to Thursday, October 23, work is also being done on the A12 from the Zevenaar junction towards Velperbroek interchange. These are planned works continuing despite the sinkhole. These works are unrelated to the discovered sinkhole.
From 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM, the carriageway is completely closed from the Zevenaar junction to Velperbroek interchange in the direction of Arnhem/Utrecht. The ramps of the Zevenaar, Duiven, and Westervoort junctions towards Arnhem are closed from 8:00 PM. Traffic on the A12 from the IJssel towards Germany is not affected by these works.
Due to Storm Benjamin, the contractor cannot perform all works on the night of Thursday, October 24 to Friday, October 25. Therefore, an extra night of work on the A12 is planned for next week. It is not yet known which night this will be.
The works relate to restoring the traffic situation on the A12-IJssel bridges to the 2020 situation. This will only be completed once the final works next week have been carried out.
