The Zeeland Bridge (Dutch: Zeelandbrug) is the longest bridge in the Netherlands. The bridge spans the Eastern Scheldt estuary. It connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland.

Zeeland Bridge

Zeelandbrug
The Zeeland Bridge in May 2014
Coordinates51°36′40″N 3°53′23″E / 51.61111°N 3.88972°E / 51.61111; 3.88972
CrossesEastern Scheldt estuary
LocaleSchouwen-Duiveland and
Noord-Beveland
Heritage statusRijksmonument [1]
Characteristics
MaterialConcrete
Total length5,022 metres (16,476 ft)
Longest span95 metres (312 ft)
No. of spans51
Piers in water54
Load limit50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons)
No. of lanes2
History
Constructed byVan Hattum en Blankevoort NV and
NV Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij[2]
Construction start1963
Construction end1965
Inaugurated15 December 1965
Statistics
Tollno
Location
Map

The Zeeland Bridge was built between 1963 and 1965. It was inaugurated on 15 December 1965 by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and was originally called Eastern Scheldt Bridge (Dutch: Oosterscheldebrug) before being renamed the Zealand Bridge on 13 April 1967.[3] At the time of its completion, it was the longest bridge in Europe. It has a total length of 5,022 metres, and consists of 48 spans of 95 metres, 2 spans of 72.5 metres and a movable bridge with a width of 40 metres.

The province of Zeeland borrowed the money for the construction of the bridge. The loan was repaid by levying tolls for the first 24 years.[4]

Side view
Zeeland Bridge (bascule bridge part)
Side view

References

edit
  1. ^ National heritage
  2. ^ Rijkswaterstaat Beeldarchief
  3. ^ "The Zeeland Bridge". Zeeland. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Zeelandbrug". Deltawerken Online (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
edit
Records
Preceded by Europe’s longest bridge
1965 – 1972
Succeeded by