Nieuwegein is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands. It lies about 7 km south of the city of Utrecht. It borders on the Lek River in the south. On the other side of the river is Vianen. To the west lies IJsselstein, to the east is Houten. Nieuwegein was formed on the July 1, 1971, when the former municipalities of Jutphaas and Vreeswijk merged. The new town was built for the expanding population of the city of Utrecht, and has grown rapidly. Nieuwegein is surrounded by three Motorways (Dutch: Autosnelweg), the A2, the A12 and the A27. There is a light rail line to Utrecht. There is a pedestrian ferry across the Lek to Vianen. In and around Nieuwegein are several canals: the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, the Lek Canal and the Merwede Canal.