Haringvliet Bridge closing for 2 months adding an hour to rush hour commutes

The Haringvliet Bridge on the A29 highway will be closed to all traffic from starting Friday evening for a period of eight weeks. The closure is due to extensive maintenance being carried out on the bridge. The bridge will be taken out of service, along with the parallel roadway, starting at 10 p.m. It will last until 11 p.m. on August 4, infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat said.

People with destinations between Zeeland and Goeree-Overflakkee in Zuid-Holland can use the A15 and N57 for detours. Those traveling to and from the Hoeksche Waard island can divert via the A16 and the N217. Drivers do not have to pay the toll for using the Kiltunnel during the closure.

Road users must take into account extra travel time that can amount to more than 60 minutes during rush hour.

The maintenance, which already started in 2021, is necessary because the section of the bridge that opens and closes has reached the end of its technical lifespan. The section is 57 meters in length and weighs approximately two million kilograms. The pivots alone weigh 9,000 kilograms.

Rijkswaterstaat is replacing the section, the movement mechanism and all technical systems. The process of replacing the section, and adjusting it in every possible position, will take 10 days of around-the-clock work. The renovation is expected to be completed in the autumn, after testing the new technical systems is complete.

The Haringvliet Bridge connects the Hoeksche Waard with Goeree-Overflakkee and also Noord-Brabant. The bridge was opened in 1964 and is used very intensively, with traffic having become increasingly heavy over the years. Every day, approximately 66,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is more than a kilometer long.

From August 7 to September 1, the Heinenoordtunnel, near Barendrecht, will be closed in both directions on the same highway. The tunnel will be renovated in stages, and is expected to be completed over the course of 2024.