A50 (Netherlands)

A 50
Rijksweg 50 (Dutch)
Motorways in the Netherlands with A50 and N50 bolt
Route information
Part of E 31 / E 35
Maintained by Rijkswaterstaat
Major junctions
South end	E 25 / A 2 in Eindhoven
Major intersections	A 59 near Oss A 326 near Wijchen E 31 / A 73 / N 322 near Beuningen E 31 / A 15 near Elst A 12 in Arnhem E 30 / A 1 in Apeldoorn
North end	E 232 / A 28 / N 50 in Hattem
Location
Country	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Constituent country	Netherlands
Provinces	North Brabant, Gelderland
Highway system
Roads in the Netherlands Motorways E-roads Provincial City routes
← A 44 → A 58

A50, the section of Rijksweg 50 that is constructed as controlled-access highway, is a north–south motorway in the Netherlands, running from Eindhoven in the province of North Brabant, northwards passing by the cities of Oss, Nijmegen, Arnhem and Apeldoorn, to its northern terminus in the province of Gelderland near the city of Zwolle.

The highway is maintained by Rijkswaterstaat.

Route description

It passes the cities of Eindhoven, Oss, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Apeldoorn and Zwolle.

History

During the Second World War the Highway was known as Highway 69. Since 1969, it is known as N69 and has that name now only between the border of North Brabant and European route E34.

The highway was an important and only avenue of advance during Operation Market Garden, and after the fighting along its length between Allied and Wehrmacht forces it was named "Hell's Highway" so named because of the effective artillery fire directed at it by the German forces in the area. During the fighting some 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) of the highway south of Eindhoven was jammed with wrecks of vehicles being attacked by up to 200 Luftwaffe bombers requiring bulldozers and blade-equipped tanks to roam the length, pushing them off the surface to keep traffic moving. The wrecks on the soft shoulders of the highway prevented its use by other vehicles, in effect converting the highway into a narrow corridor, and slowing the movement on it to a crawl for the Allied drivers.

Exit list

Province	Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
North Brabant	Eindhoven	0.000	0.000	—	E 25 / A 2 – Best, Eindhoven, Oirschot
				6	Ekkersrijt
	Son en Beugel			7	John F. Kennedylaan
				8	N 620 west (Bestseweg) – Best, Son en Beugel
				Sonse Heide rest area Southbound exit and entrance
	Sint-Oedenrode			9	N 637 north (Noordelijke randweg) / Eversestraat / Veghelseweg – Sint-Oedenrode, Schijndel
	Veghel			10	N 622 west (Eerdsebaan / Bovenrooy) – Veghel, Schijndel
Zuid-Willemsvaart				Julian J. Ewellbrug
North Brabant	Veghel			11	N 279 (Rijksweg) – Veghel, Heeswijk-Dinther
				12	Driehuizen / Udenseweg
	Uden			13	N 264 east (Lippstadt-singel) – Uden
				14	Rondweg / Looweg
	Bernheze			15	N 603 west (Noorderbaan) – Nistelrode, Heesch
				16	N 324 east (Rijksweg) / N 329 north (Graafsebaan) – Schaijk, Oss
	Oss			—	A 59 west – Heesch, Oss, 's-Hertogenbosch
				Ganzenven rest area southbound De Gagel rest area northbound
				17	N 277 south / N 626 west (Dorpenweg) / Erfsestraat – Ravenstein
Meuse				Maasbrug Ravenstein
Gelderland	Wijchen			—	A 326 east – Wijchen
	Beuningen			—	E 31 east / A 73 east / N 322 west – Beuningen, Deest	Southern end of E 31 concurrency
Waal				Tracitusbrug
Gelderland	Overbetuwe			—	E 31 west / A 15 – Andelst, Elst	Northern end of E 31 concurrency
				Weerbroek rest area southbound Meilanden rest area northbound
				18	N 837 (Cora Baltussenallee) – Heteren, Driel
Nederrijn				Rijnbrug Heteren
Gelderland	Renkum			19	N 225 (Rijksweg) – Renkum, Oosterbeek
	Arnhem			De Slenk rest area Northbound exit and entrance
					—	E 35 / A 12 – Ede, Bennekom	Western end of A12 / E 35 concurrency
					De Schaars rest area Westbound exit and entrance
					—	E 35 / A 12 – Arnhem, Rozendaal	Eastern end of A12 / E 35 concurrency
					20	N 784 (Apeldoornseweg) – Arnhem
					21	N 784 south / N 311 west – Arnhem
					North and southbound rest area Transit buses and vehicle breakdown only
	Apeldoorn			North and southbound rest area Transit buses and vehicle breakdown only
					North and southbound rest area Transit buses and vehicle breakdown only
					22	N 788 north (Arnhemseweg) – Beekbergen
					23	N 786 (Loenenseweg) – Beekbergen, Loenen
					De Brink rest area southbound De Somp rest area northbound
					—	E 30 / A 1 – Apeldoorn, Voorst
					24	N 345 – Apeldoorn, Voorst
					25	Oost Veluweweg
	Epe|Epe, Netherlands|Epe			26	N 792 east (Geerstraat) / Eekterweg – Vaassen, Terwolde
				27	N 309 west – Epe
	Heerde			28	N 794 (Eperweg) – Epe, Heerde
				Het Veen rest area southbound Kolthoorn rest area northbound
				29	Kamperweg
	Hattem			30	Hessenweg / Keizersweg
				—	N 50 north–west / E 232 / A 28 – Kampen, Zwolle, Wezep
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       HOV only       Incomplete access

See also

• List of motorways in the Netherlands
• List of E-roads in the Netherlands

References

Works cited

• Koskimaki, George E., Hell's highway: chronicle of the 101st Airborne Division in the Holland Campaign, September - November 1944, Casemate, Havertown, 2003
• Ambrose, Stephen E., Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, Part One, Chapter 4, Touchstone, New York, 1997

External links

Media related to A50 (Netherlands) at Wikimedia Commons

51°58′12″N 5°46′4″E