Liberation Day: Amsterdam IJ bridge scrapped for poor weather

The construction of the ferry bridge over the IJ on Liberation Day today has been cancelled due to a passing cold front accompanied by rain, strong winds and possibly thunderstorms. According to the Amsterdam 4 and 5 May Committee, the expected weather conditions make it uncertain whether the 6,800 people who have singed up to walk across the ferry bridge, will be able to do so safely. "It would be very unfortunate if it can not continue," said spokesperson Thijs Middeldorp last night, Het Parool reports. "but safety comes first." The Committee consulted with the KNMI and other weather institutions and decided to follow their advice not to continue - the weather forecast is too bad. "We can't ignore that, it's too dangerous. Now it's still beautiful, but bad weather is coming, also on the IJ. We don't want to compromise safety." a spokesperson said to RTL. According to Weeronline meteorologist Wim Zikkenheimer, the cold front will pass Amsterdam around noon, and will be accompanied with rain and strong winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour. He expects that the storm will last between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours and then the skies will clear up again. The ferry bridge is scheduled to be open between 14:00 and 16:00 p.m.