Zeeland Bridge

The Zeeland Bridge (Dutch: Zeelandbrug) is the longest bridge in the Netherlands. The bridge spans the Eastern Scheldt estuary. It connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland.

Zeeland Bridge Zeelandbrug
The Zeeland Bridge in May 2014
Coordinates	51°36′40″N 3°53′23″E
Crosses	Eastern Scheldt estuary
Locale	Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland
Heritage status	Rijksmonument [1]
Characteristics
Material	Concrete
Total length	5,022 metres (16,476 ft)
Longest span	95 metres (312 ft)
No. of spans	51
Piers in water	54
Load limit	50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons)
No. of lanes	2
History
Constructed by	Van Hattum en Blankevoort NV and NV Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij[2]
Construction start	1963
Construction end	1965
Inaugurated	15 December 1965
Statistics
Toll	no
Location

The Zeeland Bridge was built between 1963 and 1965. It was inaugurated on 15 December 1965 by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, and was originally called Eastern Scheldt Bridge (Dutch: Oosterscheldebrug) before being renamed the Zealand Bridge on 13 April 1967.^[3] At the time of its completion, it was the longest bridge in Europe. It has a total length of 5,022 metres, and consists of 48 spans of 95 metres, 2 spans of 72.5 metres and a movable bridge with a width of 40 metres.

The province of Zeeland borrowed the money for the construction of the bridge. The loan was repaid by levying tolls for the first 24 years.^[4]

Side view

Zeeland Bridge (bascule bridge part)

Side view