Assembly of bridge in Lochem is completed 10 months after accident that killed two

The assembly of the new Nettelhorster bridge in Lochem has been completed 10 months after an accident during construction, which resulted in the death of two construction workers. The bridge components were lifted into place and secured together on the quay along the Twente Canal this week. The construction was completed without any issues, said a spokesperson of the province of Gelderland.

One of the bridge arches fell from the hoists of a crane during construction on February 21. Two people lost their lives at the construction site. One of the deceased was from Belgium, and the other man was Polish.

This time, a different lifting technique was used to assemble the five sections that together form the bridge span. “Technically, this was more work, but it all went well,” said a spokesperson for the province after the job was completed on Friday.

The structure will be placed over the water next spring. It is expected that the 140-meter-long and 25-meter-high Nettelhorsterburg will open to traffic at the end of the summer. It will be a part of the N346 provincial road between Achterhoek and the A1 motorway.

De Arbeidsinspectie en de Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid (OVV), which is the the Labour Inspectorate and the Dutch Safety Board, are investigating why the assembling of the bridge went wrong in February. These investigations are still ongoing.