Cutting for landmark bridge

August 2011 – The old Dolderbrug bridge between Steenwijk and Tuk was no longer 'fit for purpose'. It was not built with today's traffic capacity in mind. The characteristic bascule bridge was thus replaced with a stylish new bridge. The new Dolderbrug is wider and has two modern steel bridge portals that cast the mind back to the portals of the old vertical-lift bridge. De Boer Snijbedrijf cut 32 tons of steel to size for the two bridge portals.

The old vertical lift bridge was built in 1930, spanning the Steenwijk-Ossenzijl canal. This type of bridge is hardly unique in the Netherlands any more, but this bridge was one of the last that was still in reasonably original condition. The bridge could not cope with the increasing volume of traffic, though, and was replaced by a new bridge. The new Dolderbrug is wider and has two modern bridge portals that cast the mind back to the portals of the old vertical-lift bridge. The new bridge is not a vertical-lift bridge, but was designed with the possibility of adding movable sections at a later date if required.

The new steel bridge was produced by Almex Staalbouw of Andijk. De Boer Snijbedrijf cut 32 tons of steel to size for the two bridge portals. The bridge portals have special lighting that gives the bridge a striking presence even in the dark.