A technician will be on standby at the Leimuider Bridge in the coming weeks, who can intervene quickly if a malfunction occurs. This has happened regularly in the past year, resulting in traffic chaos. The bridge is also not operated during rush hour, which means that ships cannot pass the bridge.
The province is taking these measures because the bridge was hit six times in the past year, which ‘immediately resulted in major inconvenience to waterway and road users’.
The malfunctions all have a different cause, but are the result of wear and tear, the province emphasizes. As many other bridges in the province, the Leimuider Bridge is approaching the end of its lifespan. Because the bridge is so old, parts are scarce and have a ‘long ordering time’.
Turning back
To resolve the disruptions, the bridge was out of use for all traffic for a while at the end of last year, but that does not seem to have helped. On the morning of January 8, the bridge collapsed no longer closes after opening,
Because it took a while before a technician was on site and could solve the problem, traffic on the N207 and the connecting A4 was blocked. Motorists turned en masse towards Alphen aan den Rijn to get to their location via an alternative route.
The measure therefore means fewer opportunities for shipping traffic to pass the bridge. The measure will be largely positive for motorists, because even an open bridge can lead to delays of around twenty minutes.
Now that the last disruption has been resolved, the province hopes that a disruption-free period will begin. To be (more) sure of this, the bridge is currently being fully examined. This extensive inspection is expected to be completed by mid-February and the bridge can be operated again during rush hour.
‘Quick intervention’
Until then, an engineer will also be on standby on the bridge on working days outside rush hour, ‘who can quickly intervene in the event of possible future disruptions’.