It must have been about ten years ago that we were driving south on the German Autobahn for a holiday. It was quite a struggle. We went from one traffic jam to the next. The cause wasn't hard to find. There were enormous numbers of lane closures and reduced carriageways. Road surfaces were being replaced at a rapid pace, and many bridges had strict speed limits imposed. Sometimes we were "briefly" rerouted through underpasses.
Back home, I looked into what was actually going on. It wasn't a pretty picture. The road network was in an alarming state. Hundreds of bridges were on the verge of collapse. Deferred maintenance was the conclusion of study after study. And even now, the situation hasn't much improved — if anything, it's worse. The rail network and waterways are in the same deplorable condition. Despite all the roadworks, the backlog only keeps growing. So we read across various media: "Study: 'Germany needs €400 billion for infrastructure'", and: "Investment in German infrastructure progressing slower than expected", and: "In addition, 8,000 viaducts are in need of maintenance. The same trend is visible in the German rail network."
Over this narrow bridge, 100,000 cars pass daily — heavy goods vehicles are prohibited. In such cases, maintenance is truly not a luxury!
How does the Netherlands fare when it comes to its own infrastructure? We looked at recent news coverage. That wasn't encouraging either. We came across statements such as: "We're heading for German conditions here in the Netherlands", and: "Dutch infrastructure faces an enormous renovation and maintenance challenge, as many bridges, tunnels and locks built in the 1950s and 60s are nearing the end of their service life", and reports of deferred maintenance claiming its toll — with bridges that can only be opened using two cranes. Rijkswaterstaat and rail infrastructure manager ProRail sounded the alarm, citing a deferred maintenance backlog exceeding €50 billion.
With a new government now in place, action is expected from the responsible minister. Yet the media reports: "Minister Karremans is faced with hundreds of worn-out bridges and locks, but has no money to repair them."
And there it is. That has been government policy for many years. You build something new. A grand opening, ribbon-cutting — and that's that. There is no adequate policy for maintenance. The government doesn't set aside reserves for upkeep — and, not to be forgotten, depreciation.
The maintenance of your home
Imagine if we, as a private household or as a business, followed the same approach. Not servicing your car, not painting your house, not caring for your business premises. Well, you know how that ends. Things break down, fall apart, become beyond repair. Or, put differently: in the end you pay a much higher price. Economically speaking, that's a poor decision. So that's not what we do. We take good care of things. Regular checks for everything — inside and outside the home.
As Den Haan Renovators, we are of course ideally placed to help. Maintenance and painting is our core business, after all. Welcome!