Plan for bridge over IJ river in Amsterdam delayed again

Developing a plan for the Oostbrug bridge over the IJ river in Amsterdam has been delayed again. More options had to be investigated, previous studies could not be used, and the “technical complexity” turned out to be greater than anticipated, AT5 reported based on a municipal document that the city council will debate later this month.

The development of a plan for the bridge has proven to be a “much more intensive and lengthy process than anticipated,” the municipality wrote in the document. “More options have been investigated, developed, and designed than anticipated.” The process is still ongoing and “will take at least a year longer than planned, with the associated increased capacity deployment.”

Nitrogen regulations also require “additional efforts,” and the current plan for the bridge is so different from the previous one that much of the work will have to be redone. Amsterdam residents and other stakeholders have also been given more opportunities to object to the plan or parts thereof.

The bridge itself also proved an extremely complex puzzle. Because cyclists will use the bridge, it can only have a limited gradient, but it also can’t have too many bends. The ground conditions are also uncertain. “As a result, more variants and alternatives have been investigated and developed in various areas,” the city said. And that naturally comes with “a greater capacity deployment and a longer duration.”

The document asks the city council to approve a second preparatory budget of €10.9 million.

The document does not specify whether the longer planning process will also impact the schedule for the bridge’s eventual construction. Last year, the municipality also reported that the preparation for the bridge was proving more complex than expected. At that time, the city postponed the schedule from 2032 to 2034.