News of: Wednesday, March 09 2005,
The Rijksmuseum, currently undergoing a major reconstruction, will not get an entrance in the arch in the building.
The arch is a passage under the Rijksmuseum building, originally intended for a tram line. The tram line never came, but there has always been a road under the museum, the last few years only in use by pedestrians and cyclists. It is a major cycling route in that part of town. The Cyclist union says 11,000 cyclists per day use the passage way.
Because the museum is getting a major reconstruction anyway, the Rijksmuseum wants to move the main entrance to the arch. The cyclist movement is against the idea.
The authorities of burrough 'Oud Zuid' have now decided the arch will not be used as the main entrance, and will remain open for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Rijksmuseum is disappointed, and says the reconstruction of the museum will take years extra, and the decision will cost millions.
