The demolition of the Oude Haagsebrug over the Ringvaart in Badhoevedorp starts tomorrow. The current bridge is so deteriorated that it needs to be replaced. Buses, cyclists and pedestrians will have more space on the new bridge, but it will be out of use for the next seven months. And not only users, but also residents of the bridge may experience nuisance, the initiators warn.
Good to know: the bridge has been used exclusively for buses for years, not for regular (through) car traffic. Buses can cross it, but only one at a time. This means that drivers sometimes have to wait for the bus in front of them to cross the bridge, causing delays. An exception applies to motorists who need to be at the adjacent golf club: they are allowed to cross the bridge.
The preparatory work for the replacement of the public transport connection between Schiphol, Badhoevedorp and Nieuwe Meer (Amsterdam) started months ago. Since September last year, cyclists have been riding up and down the bridge via a different route. Trees have also already been felled that were in the way of a new and wider bridge.
Bypass
Two weeks ago, the underpass on the Amsterdam side of the bridge closed. A bypass in the form of a bicycle street has been constructed through the Oeverlanden for motorized traffic, cyclists and pedestrians.
Cooperation
The replacement of the Old Hague Bridge is a joint project of the Amsterdam Transport Region, Schiphol, the province of North Holland, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer and the municipality of Amsterdam.
By replacing the bridge, the parties want to make the (public transport) connection between Amsterdam Sloterdijk and Schiphol more reliable. Buses cannot pass each other on the current bridge, but they can on the new bridge.
So tomorrow the big job starts: contractor BAM will start demolishing the bridge. From then on, the connection will be out of use for nine months. If everything goes according to plan, the new bridge will be ready in October.
Noise pollution will be greatest during the demolition period, the project team warns the schedule on his website. Local residents may also feel vibrations during that period. To measure the effect of the work on the houses, vibration meters have been installed on the facades, reports reporter Thijs-Jan van Aalst.
Read below the photo
Photos were taken of the houses to determine afterwards whether any new damage was caused by the work.
“We can’t do anything about it,” says the resident of a house on the Amsterdam side of the bridge. “It just has to be done.” She is confident that the vibration meters are doing their job, but they will not prevent nuisance.
“We have also been shaking out of bed in recent weeks”
“In recent weeks we have also been shaking out of bed in the morning, because they start at seven o’clock. And we had to go under the bridge every day for shopping, so that will take quite a detour in the near future. It is what it is. ”
‘It’ll be fine’
A Badhoevedorp resident who lives right next to the bridge is not concerned at all. “We also understand that the bridge needs to be renovated. Communication from the municipality and the construction company is excellent, we are constantly kept informed. They have installed vibration meters on our house to keep an eye on that too, so everything will be fine.”
The vibration meters may come in handy tomorrow. Probably not for removing the railings from the bridge, but probably for breaking up the road surface. Explosives will also be placed in the coming days and will be detonated from Thursday.
Of all the options available for demolishing a bridge, the parties have chosen the technique that causes the least inconvenience. The explosives that will be used are actually implosives. The implosion bombs make the bridge unstable from the inside.
From Friday, large demolition cranes will be deployed to destroy the bridge and finally complete the job. “We actually wanted to do that from Wednesday,” says area manager Joleen van den Toren.
Comb the bottom
This minimal delay was caused by the unexpected discovery of ammunition and weapons from the Second World War in the Ringvaart, after which it was decided to first carefully comb the bottom of the Ringvaart there.
During that specialist search, several landmines and weapons from that time were found. Last Friday, a firearm even surfaced, which is being investigated by Forensic Investigation.
Due to the work, the Nieuwemeerdijk near the bridge will be closed from tomorrow (Monday, January 22) until February 9. Badhoevedorp residents who live east of the bridge will have to make a significant detour in the coming weeks to get to their own village.
See the recommended diversion below. Read more below the image.
A pontoon bridge has been constructed for pedestrians, which will be located at house number 241 in the coming months and will later be moved to house number 230.
The Ringvaart has been closed at the bridge for more than a week and a half and will remain so until the end of March. On March 22, pleasure boats can pass the bridge again.
Public transport users
Things are also changing for public transport users to and from Amsterdam. Because the usual route over the Oude Haagsebrug will also be out of use for bus lines from tomorrow, they will drive a different route.
See the alternative routes of the bus lines below. Read more below the image.
Schiphol Plaza – Center Amsterdam: lines 341, 397 and N97
In the normal situation, buses between Schiphol Plaza and the Center of Amsterdam use the Oude Haagsebrug. They also stop at Schiphol Noord, Cateringweg and Anderlechtlaan. This is not the case between January 22 and August 22, 2024. Bus lines 341, 397 and N97 run as follows:
Schiphol Plaza -> Amsterdam: From Schiphol Plaza these lines go directly via the A4 to the Amstelveenseweg stop. Intermediate stops are cancelled.
Amsterdam -> Schiphol Plaza: From the Amstelveenseweg stop the bus runs via Junction Schiphol North to Schiphol Plaza. The N97 line also serves the Elzenhof/P5 and P40 stops in this direction.
Schiphol Plaza – Cateringweg: line 300
Because the Oude Haagsebrug is out of use, fewer buses also stop at the Cateringweg stop. Connexxion line 300 between Schiphol Plaza and Bijlmer Arena will continue to stop at the Cateringweg stop in both directions.
Schiphol Plaza – Anderlechtlaan – Sloterdijk: line 369
GVB operates line 369 between Schiphol and Amsterdam Sloterdijk. This line uses the temporary Anderlechtlaan stop during the closure of the Oude Haagsebrug. From Schiphol Plaza this line runs via the A4 to the Sloten exit. Here there is a temporary stop close to the Sloten exit (near the current Anderlechtlaan stop and the Mercure hotel). From Sloterdijk in the direction of Schiphol, parking also takes place at the temporary Anderlechtlaan stop. This stop is on the north side of the A4, as shown on the route map.
GVB line 369 is the only line that stops in both directions at the Anderlechtlaan stop. Travelers from the Anderlechtlaan stop towards the center of Amsterdam can change at Sloterdijk.
Source: https://oudehaagsebrug.nl/2024/01/18/rijroutes-bussen-van-22-januari-tm-22-augustus-2024/
The Nieuwemeerdijk will be open again from February 10, but will be closed a few more times later this year. This will happen in May or June, when the girders of the new bridge are placed. The Ringvaart will also be closed a few more times after March 29, although these closures will not last long, the project team assures.