Jan 4, 2024 at 7:58 PM Update: an hour ago
The bridge on the Stuwweg in Maastricht was in danger of collapsing after a houseboat collided with it on Thursday morning. Some debris has fallen off, but nothing more seems to have happened.
The pillar in the middle under the bridge, which the houseboat rammed into, slowly sinks away and leans slightly forward. There is a bend in the bridge exactly in the middle, and it would have bent a little further during the day. But the bridge is still there.
Around 6 p.m. Thursday evening, the fire brigade also called it a day and decided to return to the barracks. Bridge and houseboats on the other side are guarded by the police.
The houseboat floated away on Thursday morning at the spot where a section of dike had been washed away by high water in the Maas. A contractor has now managed to secure the boat to two driven poles and a tree. This way, the houseboat no longer exerts too much pressure on the damaged bridge against which the boat leans.
If the bridge collapses, the houseboat will not be swept away, a fire brigade spokesperson said on Thursday evening.
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Bridge in Maastricht is on the verge of collapse after collision with houseboat
Attempt to restore power supply to houseboats
Due to the strong current, a 120-meter-wide spillway broke over a width of 50 meters on Wednesday. As a result, the houseboats were in danger of leaning crookedly.
All thirty houseboats between the Maas and the Zuid-Willemsvaart in the Boschpoort district have therefore been evacuated. Boat residents have now been accommodated in hotels or are staying with family.
Emergency services, together with Enexis, are trying to restore the power supply to the houseboats on the Stuwweg. Not because someone is still staying in the boats, but “more so that the freezer and refrigerator no longer fail.” If the bridge still collapses, the power supply will be lost.
The dead end road where the boats are moored is off-limits to everyone. The mayor announced an emergency ordinance to this end. After all, you can only get to that road via the bridge.
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Image: ANP
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2024-01-04 18:58:00
#Maastricht #bridge #collapse #collision #houseboat #Domestic
