Antwerpen14-18_Antwerp builds bridges ENG

Dirk Verhaegen is Staff Colonel and
Military Commander of the Province
of Antwerp. As the link between
the military and the civilian populations,
he will be responsible for
coordinating the pontoon bridge in
2014.
The fixed part of the bridge is about 60 meters long and
consists of about 60 tons of steel. The floating section is
about 270 meters long and consists of 15 to 20 pontoon
boats, each driving roughly three linked pontoon elements.
The total weight of the aluminum frame is approximately
200 tons - which accounts for 40 trucks of equipment.
The assembling and inspecting of the bridge is
carried out by 250 sappers, half of them Dutch, half Belgian.
Divers will also be on guard.
The fixed section of the bridge is anchored with support
poles in the river bottom of the Scheldt, floating pontoons
are held together using the screws of the pontoon boats.
These will have to be monitored round the clock. For
example, during the ‘slack’ period between high and low
tide the river water almost comes to a standstill, but at its
strongest it can flow at 9 kilometers per hour. This represents
a tremendous force. In addition, the bridge should
be able to open up regularly to let ships sail through. This
is already monitored at Flushing, close to the estuary of
the River Scheldt.
“Constructing such a bridge will not be
easy, not least because the River
Scheldt in Antwerp is about 370 m wide and the tidal currents
are at times very strong. The sappers of the 11th Engineer
Battalion from Burcht will take care of the fixed section
of the bridge. The 101th Engineer battalion from Wezep in the
Netherlands and their 105th Bridge Company from ‘s-Hertogenbosch
will build the floating section. Because the entire
operation won’t be easy, the bridge will be constructed for a
first time, as a test, in September 2013. The whole event is
like a large collection of Meccano, with pieces that do not
always fit together properly.
Additionally, the preparation represents a huge technical
challenge. We are including a risk assessment as well, a prevention
and safety plan, agreements with the port authorities,
with civil and military authorities, and so on. Over thirty delegates
are usually present at the meetings. But the cooperation
works very well, everyone is excited. The construction of
this bridge is a wonderful example of international defense
cooperation at a European level, in this case between Belgium
and the Netherlands and fully in line with the policy of our
respective Secretaries of Defence. And it is wonderful to be
able to build a ‘Bridge of Peace’ for all citizens across the
River Scheldt in Antwerp in 2014!”
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