Leidsche Rijn
Leidsche Rijn is a neighbourhood under construction west of Utrecht in the central Netherlands. The whole project consists of two city parts, namely Leidsche Rijn and Vleuten-De Meern. The neighbourhood is expected to be completed in 2025 and will have approximately 80,000 inhabitants.
By 2007 the neighbourhoods of Veldhuizen, Parkwijk, Langerak and large parts of Terwijde were already occupied.
During construction several archeological remains were discovered. In 1997 and in 2003 Roman ships were discovered in the neighbourhood of De Balije and in 2002 and 2003 Roman watchtowers were discovered in the neighbourhoods of Vleuterweide and Het Zand.
Currently there are plans for a controversial skyscraper called "Belle van Zuylen". This skyscraper would (if constructed) be 262 metres in height and will replace the Dom Tower as the highest structure in the city of Utrecht.
The centre of this new neighbourhood will be situated above the Rijksweg A2 and will possibly include a few high-rise structures. There are about 22,000 people living in Leidsche Rijn as of the end of 2007 (estimate based on 80,000 inhabitants in 2025)
Transportation
Roads
Leidsche Rijn is connected to the old city of Utrecht via several road bridges over the Amsterdam-Rhine canal. The most important of these connecting roads are the Vleutenseweg, the Zuilense Ring and the Ds. Martin Luther Kinglaan.
Leidsche Rijn is also connected to two major highways in the Netherlands: The A12 [The Hague - Germany] and the A2 [Amsterdam - Maastricht]. The A2 highway, a major barrier between the old city and Leidsche Rijn, is currently under reconstruction. A new tunnel is being built for the road section between the Utrecht - The Hague railroad and the Leidsche Rijn river in order to take this barrier away.
Rail connections
Leidsche Rijn currently has three train stations: Utrecht Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht Terwijde and Vleuten. All stations are serviced at least twice an hour, with Utrecht Terwijde and Vleuten being serviced every 15 minutes during workdays.
External links
Coordinates: 52°05′47″N 5°03′08″E / 52.0964879°N 5.0522518°E
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