Amsterdam’s Councilor Melanie van der Horst (D66) was aware of significantly increased costs for the planned IJ River bridge ("Oostbrug") prior to the municipal elections, but withheld this information from the city council. Documents obtained by AT5 reveal the bridge's projected cost rose to between 650 and 850 million euros, far exceeding the previously estimated 325 million. Despite this knowledge, Van der Horst presented lower, outdated figures in official documents. City officials expressed shock at the revised estimates in internal communications, requesting discretion about the information. They advised Van der Horst to release the figures either before or after the election, highlighting the need for transparency during coalition negotiations to secure additional funding. The decision to use the lower figures in an official investment note potentially misled voters, with one journalist suggesting campaign debates would have unfolded differently had the correct information been available.