Zeelandbrug

The Zeeland bridge is a huge traffic bridge of 5 kilometres long. The bridge is not a part of the Delta works, but was built to connect North-Beveland and Schouwen-Duiveland.

The bridge lies between Zierikzee and Colijnsplaat and is 5022 metres long. For Dutch standards quite a thing. It was the longest bridge of the country. In comparison with the longest bridge in the world, the Zeeland bridge is a ‘modest giant’. The longest bridge is the one over lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, United States. This giant measures 38.4 kilometres long.

The building of the Zeeland bridge was ordered by the province of Zeeland. The ferry connection between Zierikzee (Schouwen-Duiveland) and Kats( Noord-Beveland) could not handle the growing stream of traffic. Also the Oosterschelde would not be closed until after 1978 according to the Delta plan.

The Zeeland bridge consists of 54 columns with in between 52 spans of 95 metres each. Further more there is a part that acts as a draw bridge. This part is 40 metres long. Work on the bridge, that used to be called the Oosterschelde bridge, started in 1963. On the 15th of December Queen Juliana officially opened it. In April 1967 the bridge was named ‘Zeeland bridge’.

Nowadays the Zeeland bridge is very important for the traffic between Rotterdam and Goes. Now the Westerschelde tunnel has been completed, it`s importance has only grown. Now you can travel through the Westerscheldetunnel and over the Zeeland bridge from Belgium to Rotterdam.

For more information check; www.deltawerken.com/51.html