Some bridges in Amsterdam are in such bad shape that they are in danger of collapsing. “Too long, too little maintenance has been done,” said alderman Sharon Dijksma News and Co on NPO Radio 1.
Dijksma fears that some bridges will fail. “We do know which bridges are potentially most at risk and we are also conducting the initial research there. And we are now also used to taking measures overnight if necessary. So that could mean that we have a whole suddenly closing the quay for traffic. “
Last year, the capital began mapping 829 bridges. Of these, 21 have been fully investigated. Measures have been taken at ten bridges.
‘Work eight times faster’
Research into the first eighty quay walls where risks were already feared revealed that they indeed all need to be renewed. 190 kilometers of quay wall remains to be investigated.
“If you want to finish all the work within twenty years, you have to start working eight times as fast as you are used to,” says Dijksma. An investigation committee has calculated this.
The city has earmarked 300 million euros for the investments, but last year the coalition took into account an amount of no less than 2 billion euros for the long term. “I’m not speculating about that, but anyone who thinks you are off with a few hundred million is mistaken.”
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