The province of Groningen does not want to be an ATM. Never again have to pay for financial excesses and risks such as when tackling the southern ring road | DVHN commentary

The approach to the southern ring road and now the main station of the city of Groningen are major issues for the provincial government. Millions of additional costs and risks have been and will be passed on to the province. As far as the South Ring is concerned, this is included in agreements made with the government after the cancellation of the Zuiderzee Line in 2007. The province received a Region Specific Package (RSP) of 2.1 billion euros and was made risk-bearing.

The same applies to the Main Station and the transport flows there. The province is also responsible for this RSP project. The question now is whether the province will have to pay for all the extra costs incurred at the Main Station. A larger bicycle cellar? A bicycle tunnel that is financially out of line? The province and municipality of Groningen must find a way out of this.

The millions are flying over the table and the current group of provincial administrators do not know what is happening to them. The obviousness with which the province is viewed raises eyebrows, but is also due to historical agreements. It is therefore important that in the future the way in which risks are distributed in large projects is critically examined.

To begin with, the province and Groningen municipalities should not allow themselves to be saddled with high risks in the future. In retrospect, you can say that the southern ring road and the approach to the Main Station are typical projects for which the government should bear full responsibility. After all, these are projects that, given the transport network, can be considered national infrastructure. They are of great importance for the development of the regional and therefore also the national economy.

Being ready

If there are parts that do not fall within the scope of a large project, the province and the municipality of Groningen must be on alert. Firm agreements are needed in advance about a fair risk distribution. It cannot be the case that the region is still being pulled over its ears. Vigilance is required. Especially in the case of large projects arising from the Nij Begun development package and the Lely line.

It is obvious that the government will try to pass on some of the risks to local and regional authorities. It is important that the province learns lessons from the past and does not agree to project proposals in which the government blames setbacks on Groningen.