On Wednesday, February 11, an important milestone was reached in the construction of the new Norger Bridge. On this day, the prefab abutment beam, the large concrete beam on which the bridge will rest, was successfully hoisted by contractor Strukton. This moment is a clearly visible part of the construction of the new bridge.
Along the Hoofdvaartsweg, a special viewing location was set up where residents could safely and closely follow the hoisting moment. Some residents came to watch the hoisting.
Winter weather made preparation challenging
In the weeks leading up to the hoisting, the weather was wintry, with snow and frost. These conditions caused slippery surfaces and frozen ground, making the preparation of various tasks sometimes difficult. Project leader Lambert Vlieg: “The winter weather demanded a lot of flexibility from the team in recent weeks. Despite snow and frost, we were able to safely and according to plan carry out an important part of the work. The placement of the abutment beam is therefore a nice step forward in the construction of the new bridge.”
Planning subject to change
It is good that this part of the work could proceed according to plan. Due to the frost period, it is currently difficult to say what this means for the rest of the project. The planned opening on May 22 may be at risk because several days of work were lost due to frost. How much delay this causes mainly depends on how quickly we can get the relocation of cables and pipes back on track. These activities have been halted for a long time due to frost. Meanwhile, preparations for the next steps continue as usual.
Next milestone
The next milestone is expected in week 15, when the movable bridge leaf will be installed. This is the movable part of the bridge. It lifts to allow boats to pass through.