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72-565: For practical purposes, one can consider the Dieze bridge to be at the confluence of the Dommel , Binnendieze , and Aa. If one wants to be very exact, one can say that the Dommel and Binnendieze meet 50 m south of the bridge, to form the Dieze. Therefore, the bridge is technically at the confluence of the Dieze and Aa. An interesting detail is that this confluence has been moved downstream by connecting

144-840: A Bailey bridge before the war in 1936, but the idea was not acted upon. Bailey drew an original proposal for the bridge on the back of an envelope in 1940. On 14 February 1941, the Ministry of Supply requested that Bailey have a full-scale prototype completed by 1 May. Work on the bridge was completed with particular support from Ralph Freeman . The design was tested at the Experimental Bridging Establishment (EBE), in Christchurch, Dorset , with several parts from Braithwaite & Co. , beginning in December 1940 and ending in 1941. The first prototype

216-520: A bastion of the Citadel of 's-Hertogenbosch to the central pier of the bridge. When mass production of cars became general in the 1920s, the Dutch government started to think about adapting the road network for cars. One of the roads that featured in a national plan for motorways was the road from Utrecht to 's-Hertogenbosch . It would be one of the main north–south arteries for Dutch road traffic. It

288-533: A concrete surface was ordered at Van Drunen en Zonen for 17,455 guilders. On 16 January 1942 the Dieze Bridge officially became a public road, so it was probably finished by that time. In October 1944 resistance fighters tried to take the Dieze Bridge intact. The attempt failed, primarily because the resistance lacked anti-tank weapons. After admitting defeat, the Germans blew up the southern girder bridge, and

360-545: A functioning bridge. Full production began in July 1941. Thousands of workers and over 650 firms, including Littlewoods , were engaged in making the bridge, with production eventually rising to 25,000 bridge panels a month. The first Bailey bridges were in military service by December 1941, Bridges in the other formats were built, temporarily, to cross the Avon and Stour in the meadows nearby. After successful development and testing,

432-429: A highly contextual subject. In the context of current commercial navigation the size of the ships that the Dommel can handle is much too small to make shipping economically viable. Before the introduction of the steam engine however, river ships were much smaller, and navigation was economically viable between Boxtel and 's-Hertogenbosch. The Dommel was even wide enough to allow shipping till Sint-Oedenrode , but apart from

504-465: A matter of using a different name for the same river. However, in 1864 a sluice was made in the left Dieze dyke just north of the ravelin which was north of the Oliemolen bastion in 's-Hertogenbosch. It connected the western city moat to the Dieze. In turn this city moat was connected to the Dommel at about the same time. The result was that henceforward the Dommel not only flowed to the Dieze under

576-413: A more natural river-side was created to aid wild-life. There are some highlights of the Dommel in 's-Hertogenbosch. The St-Jan's Bolwerk is a reconstructed part of the city wall which functions as a tiny city park. The clever aspect is that on the inside it functions as a sewer overflow. The late medieval city walls have been excavated. At St-Jan's Bolwerk a rediscovered older part, which had fallen over in

648-400: A number of 19-foot-wide (5.8 m) transoms that run across the bridge, with 10-foot-long (3.0 m) stringers running between them, and over the top of the transoms, forming a square. Transoms rest on the lower chord of the panels, and clamps hold them together. Stringers are placed atop the completed structural frame, and wood planking (chesses) are placed atop the stringers to provide

720-490: A number of different factories were interchangeable. Each individual part could be carried by a small number of men, enabling army engineers to move more easily and quickly, in preparing the way for troops and materiel advancing behind them. The modular design allowed engineers to build each bridge to be as long and as strong as needed, doubling or tripling the supportive side panels, or on the roadbed sections. The basic bridge consists of three main parts. The bridge's strength

792-517: A roadbed. Ribands bolt the planking to the stringers. Later in the war, the wooden planking was covered by steel plates, which were more resistant to damage of tank tracks . Each unit constructed in this fashion creates a single 10-foot-long (3.0 m) section of bridge, with a 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) roadbed. After one section is complete it is typically pushed forward over rollers on the bridgehead, and another section built behind it. The two are then connected together with pins pounded into holes in

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864-476: A small tunnel for pedestrians would be made. The small harbor on the Werfpad, also on the northern side, would become even smaller. In compensation, it would be managed by the municipality. In 1938, 180,000 guilders for the Dieze Bridge and ramps, were brought on the 1939 budget. In December 1938 the plans for the Dieze Bridge arrived at the offices of the 's-Hertogenbosch municipality. An old defensive wall, which

936-487: A test jig at each factory to verify this. To do this efficiently, newly manufactured parts would be continuously added to the test bridge, while at the same time the far end of the test bridge was continuously dismantled and the parts dispatched to the end-users. Donald Bailey was a civil servant in the British War Office who tinkered with model bridges as a hobby. He had proposed an early prototype for

1008-519: Is a by-pass from the A2 motorway, south of the city, to the A59 motorway, west of the city. It was opened in 2011 and finally put an end to the almost permanent traffic congestion on the southern tip of Dieze Bridge route. The diversion of the motorways sharply increased the quality of living in the city quarter Het Zand. From 2013 to 2015, the new Royal Welsh Bridge was then constructed over the Dieze, just west of

1080-655: Is actually a very old meander of the Dommel. Since the Last Glacial Period , it has grown closed with peat , and is now known as the Moerkuilen. The many ponds in the area have been formed by excavating peat. Just west of the Moerkuilen is the Dommelbeemden area, which is a natural monument. It (used to) consist of regularly flooded low-lying meadows used to grow hay, and higher situated "bolakkers" (high fields), where cereals were cultivated. The aim of

1152-420: Is provided by the panels on the sides. The panels are 10-foot-long (3.0 m), 5-foot-high (1.5 m), cross-braced rectangles that each weigh 570 pounds (260 kg), and can be lifted by four men. The panel was constructed of welded steel. The top and bottom chord of each panel had interlocking male and female lugs into which engineers could insert panel connecting pins. The floor of the bridge consists of

1224-633: The Aa stream to form the river Dieze, which subsequently flows towards the Meuse . The main cities and towns along the Dommel's course are Peer, Neerpelt , Valkenswaard , Dommelen , Eindhoven , Son en Breugel , Sint-Oedenrode , Boxtel , Sint-Michielsgestel and 's-Hertogenbosch. The drainage basin of the Dommel belongs to that of the Meuse. To the west of is the basin of the Donge , which also belongs to that of

1296-512: The Esschestroom joins the Dommel near the hamlet Halder . In Roman times Halder was probably the most important settlement on the Dommel. A small museum is dedicated to the Roman history of the area. While residents of Eindhoven generally know that their city is on the Dommel, the citizens of 's-Hertogenbosch are convinced that their city is situated on the Dieze. Up till the 1860s, this was

1368-833: The River Rhine at Rees, Germany , in 1945 by the Royal Canadian Engineers was named "Blackfriars Bridge", and, at 558 m (1814 ft) including the ramps at each end, was then the longest Bailey bridge ever constructed. In all, over 600 firms were involved in the making of over 200 miles of bridges composing of 500,000 tons, or 700,000 panels of bridging during the war. At least 2,500 Bailey bridges were built in Italy, and another 2,000 elsewhere. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery wrote in 1947: Bailey Bridging made an immense contribution towards ending World War II. As far as my own operations were concerned, with

1440-597: The Sangro River bridge in Italy, spanned 1,126 feet (343 m). Another on the Chindwin River in Burma , spanned 1,154 feet (352 m). Such long bridges required support from either piers or pontoons . A number of bridges were available by 1944 for D-Day , when production was accelerated. The US also licensed the design and started rapid construction for their own use. A Bailey Bridge constructed over

1512-644: The Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and American military engineering units . A Bailey bridge has the advantages of requiring no special tools or heavy equipment to assemble. The wood and steel bridge elements were small and light enough to be carried in trucks and lifted into place by hand, without the use of a crane. These bridges were strong enough to carry tanks. Bailey bridges continue to be used extensively in civil engineering construction projects and to provide temporary crossings for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The success of

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1584-727: The Second World War was built by 237 Field Company R.E. over Medjerda River near Medjez el Bab in Tunisia on the night of 26 November 1942. The first Bailey bridge built under fire was constructed at Leonforte by members of the 3rd Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. The Americans soon adopted the Bailey bridge technique, calling it the Portable Panel Bridge . In early 1942, the United States Army Corps of Engineers initially awarded contracts to

1656-616: The Tongelreep joins the Dommel. Next comes the Anne Frank plantsoen, and then the Dommel reaches the city center. In the center of Eindhoven, the shores and bridges of the Dommel are rather utilitarian. An exception is the new pedestrian bridge near the Van Abbemuseum , and the new extension of this museum which juts out into the Dommel. The river then continues on the east side of Eindhoven city center. Here it almost touches

1728-484: The citadel , because there was no road bridge over the Dieze . The solution was to project the motorway to the west, i.e. through the city quarter 'Het Zand' between the old center and the railway. In 1937 the plan for the so-called traverse became known. It consisted of three major works. The first and major part was the construction of a broad and high bridge over the Dieze, with the required access ramps. The second part,

1800-613: The (funnel) height of inland steamships sailing the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Another possibility is that inland shipping still used the mast for other purposes, e.g. as a crane. The inside of the piers which housed the bascule when the bridge was open, is quite large. Each of the two piers has a room of 5 by 9 m and 9 m high. The fact that by 1957 100 m of old archives of the North-Brabant division of Rijkswaterstaat were present inside these piers, seems to indicate that by then,

1872-428: The Bailey bridge was due to the simplicity of the fabrication and assembly of its modular components, combined with the ability to erect and deploy sections with a minimum of assistance from heavy equipment . Many previous designs for military bridges required cranes to lift the pre-assembled bridge and lower it into place. The Bailey parts were made of standard steel alloys , and were simple enough that parts made at

1944-490: The Canadian War Assets Corporation. The commission used bridging in an office building. Over 200,000 tons of bridging were used in a hydroelectric project. The Ontario government was, several years after World War II, the largest holder of Bailey Bridging components. After World War II and especially post Hurricane Hazel in 1954, some of the bridging was used to construct replacement bridges in

2016-861: The Detroit Steel Products Company, the American Elevator Company and the Commercial Shearing and Stamping Company, and later several others. The Bailey provided a solution to the problem of German and Italian armies destroying bridges as they retreated. By the end of the war, the US Fifth Army and British 8th Army had built over 3,000 Bailey bridges in Sicily and Italy alone, totaling over 55 miles (89 km) of bridge, at an average length of 100 feet (30 m). One Bailey, built to replace

2088-479: The Dieze Railroad Bridge. It created a new local route for cars, which makes that the Dieze Bridge is no longer needed for traffic inside the city. The municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch then came up with the plan: 's-Hertogenbosch City Delta. This plan had three themes: Places to meet, Space for cyclists and pedestrians, and construction of some very high-rising apartment buildings. In all probability

2160-456: The Dieze bridge consists of five parts. The first part is the northern access ramp. It supports a road that rises to a height of about 6 m on the northern shore of the Aa / Dieze. The second part is a fixed girder bridge which spans the Aa and leads to the northern central pier. The central pier is a massive structure connected to the citadel. It held the mechanism for a bascule bridge which connected to

2232-530: The Dieze. On 19 November 1938 the new Willemsbrug to the south of the planned Diezebrug was opened. Meanwhile, there were small changes in the plans. A new agreement between municipality and national government was made on 16 May 1938. The projected quay along the Havendijk would be replaced by a new quay just west of the bridge. On the northern side, the Vaaltweg would no longer cross the access ramp. Instead,

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2304-504: The Dommel can be found between Eindhoven and Boxtel. Here, the Dommel still has many of its original winds and meanders, though many have also been lost. The stretch forms a cultural-historical and valuable landscape area that is part of the Het Groene Woud . This is a National Landscape situated between Eindhoven, Tilburg and 's-Hertogenbosch. The Moerkuilen is a heath area with a mere few kilometres east of Sint-Oedenrode . It

2376-777: The Eindhovensch Kanaal. The Dommel next flows along the terrain of the Eindhoven University of Technology . Just west of Nuenen the Dommel is joined by the Kleine Dommel. Just south of Son the Dommel meets the Wilhelmina Canal . Here is it led through culverts that dive below the Canal. The Dommel then appears again on the other side. The stretch from Son en Breugel to Vught is primarily rural. The most original part and natural state of

2448-682: The Indian Army erected three new footbridges at Elphinstone Road , a commuter railway station in Mumbai , and at Currey Road and Ambivli . These were erected quickly, in response to a stampede some months earlier, where 23 people died. The United States Army Corps of Engineers uses Bailey Bridges in construction projects, including an emergency replacement bridge on the Hana Highway in Hawaii. Two temporary Bailey bridges have been used on

2520-682: The Meuse, or flow to the Schelde via the Zwarte Beek and the Demer . The source of the Dommel is 77 metres above sea level. On its course it drops 75 m. Just west of Peer, the Dommel flows through the small nature reserve Mullemer Bemden, where it is joined by the Kleinbeek. To the east there was a small diversion of the water towards the Watermill of Peer. Part of this mill is still standing on

2592-460: The Meuse. To the south the basin of the Dommel borders that of the Schelde . To the east is that of the Aa. Further to the south a number of rivers flow into the Meuse much further upstream. The Dommel often looks like a brook nowadays, but it has many geographical features that only larger rivers have. These are the width of the rivers' valley, and large meanders from the Last Glacial Period . In

2664-638: The Molhem road. The Mullemer Bemden is part of the preserve 'Valley of the Dommel and Bollisserbeek' which stretches till west of Kleine Brogel. At the end of the preserve is the building of the Kleine Molen (small mill). From Kleine Brogel the Dommel first passes the Wedelse Mill, which is a monument. It then passes east of Overpelt , where the Bemvoortse molen is. The Dommel passed very close to

2736-651: The Toronto area: The longest Bailey bridge was put into service in October 1975. This 788-metre (2,585 ft), two-lane bridge crossed the Derwent River at Hobart , Australia. The Bailey bridge was in use until the reconstruction of the Tasman Bridge was completed on 8 October 1977. Bailey bridges are in regular use throughout the world, particularly as a means of bridging in remote regions. In 2018,

2808-474: The bascule had already been removed. After World War II road traffic increased again, and the Dieze Bridge route became severely congested. In December 1970 the Meuse Bridge at Empel was opened. The A2 motorway was then re-routed to the east of 's-Hertogenbosch. However, because of the measure by which road traffic had increased, this did not put an end to congestion on the Dieze Bridge route. The Randweg

2880-444: The bascule. The southern pier held the little house for the operator of the bridge, which has since been removed. The piles below the land side of the southern access ramp were 12 m long, because solid ground was deeper over there. On average the bridge would be 6 m above water. In September 1939 300,000 guilders were brought on the 1940 budget in order to quickly finish the work. In November 1939 another stretch of an old defensive wall

2952-708: The bridge was taken into service by the Corps of Royal Engineers and first used in North Africa in 1942. The original design violated a patent on the Callender-Hamilton bridge . The designer of that bridge, A. M. Hamilton , successfully applied to the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors . The Bailey Bridge was more easily constructed, but less portable than the Hamilton bridge. Hamilton

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3024-649: The bridge will be demolished. The official point of view is that it blocks the view towards the citadel. Dommel The Dommel is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands , left tributary of the Dieze . It is 120 km long, of which 85 km are in the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop , Tongelreep , Run , Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merges at 's-Hertogenbosch with

3096-409: The bridge. A useful feature of the Bailey bridge is its ability to be launched from one side of a gap, without a need for ANY equipment or personnel on the far bank. In this system the front-most portion of the bridge is angled up with short "launch-links" to form a "launching nose" and most of the bridge is left without the roadbed and ribands. The bridge is placed on rollers and simply pushed across

3168-458: The construction of a major motorway with frontage roads through Het Zand. The third part was the construction of a new broader Willemsbrug over the part of the Dommel west of the city center. Towards the north the new route connect to the old Orthenseweg, which would be connected to the north via Hedel Bridge . As the motorway concept was something new, the plan mentioned that no bicycles, wagons or other non-motorized traffic would be allowed on

3240-523: The corners of the panels. For added strength up to three panels (and transoms) can be bolted on either side of the bridge. Another solution is to stack the panels vertically. With three panels across and two high, the Bailey Bridge can support tanks over a 200-foot span (61 m). Footways can be installed on the outside of the side-panels. The side-panels form an effective barrier between foot and vehicle traffic, allowing pedestrians to safely use

3312-593: The eighth Army in Italy and with the 21 Army Group in North West Europe , I could never have maintained the speed and tempo of forward movement without large supplies of Bailey Bridging. The Skylark launch tower at Woomera was built up of Bailey bridge components. In the years immediately following World War II, the Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission purchased huge amounts of war-surplus Bailey bridging from

3384-501: The fact that a mill in Boxtel blocked its course, there were too many bends in the river too make navigation till Sint-Oedenrode economically feasible. Up till about 1870, there was still some navigation on the Dommel. In 1859, a ship loaded with stone and Gravel sank on the Aa near Sint-Michielsgestel while en route to Boxtel. The skipper was from Sint-Michielsgestel, and was killed together with his son. West of Sint-Michielsgestel

3456-449: The gap, using manpower or a truck or tracked vehicle, at which point the roller is removed (with the help of jacks) and the ribands and roadbed installed, along with any additional panels and transoms that might be needed. During WWII, Bailey bridge parts were made by companies with little experience of this kind of engineering. Although the parts were simple, they had to be precisely manufactured to fit correctly, so they were assembled into

3528-578: The highway after the old structure was destroyed in the May 2020 flooding and subsequent failure of the Edenville Dam . The department will replace the temporary bridge with a permanent structure in the coming years. Following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island of New Zealand, Bailey bridges were installed to reconnect communities. Following

3600-419: The main road. Parking would be forbidden in the narrow Brugstraat (as is still the case today). In all other places on the main lane, stopping would also be forbidden. The cost of the bridge and ramps would be born by the national government. It would also contribute 25% to the cost of the other works, which would be born by the municipality. The design called for the Dieze Bridge to have a main road surface that

3672-461: The moat, has been resurrected. The Wilhelminabrug connects to the station and is heavily decorated with often neglected post war sculptures. The swing bridge near the confluence with the Dieze is a fine piece of industrial engineering. Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated , truss bridge . It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British for military use during

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3744-425: The name 'Binnendieze', but also flowed to the Dieze in a new bed as 'Dommel'. With more water flowing through the new bed, than through the older Binnendieze bed, confusion became inevitable. The Dommel reaches the southern tip of the city center on its eastern side. The connection from the Dommel to the city moat was made by digging about 100 m to the west from that point. The 1864 Dommel then turns north to run along

3816-480: The natural monument is to restore part of this situation. About two kilometers before reaching the center of Boxtel town, the Afwateringskanaal Boxtel diverts from the Dommel. It was dug by hand in 1933–1936 in order to prevent flooding in Boxtel. It cut off a bend of the Dommel of about 4 km that flowed through Boxtel. The Boxtel 'arm' then received only little water till the waterschap reverted

3888-622: The nature reserve Malpie, which is a Heath with many meres . This stretch of the Dommel ends at the Venberg Watermill (Venbergse Molen) south of Valkenswaard . This also the end of the popular canoe trips, that start just north of the Bocholt-Herentals canal in Belgium. After the Venberg Watermill, the Dommel flows north between Dommelen and Valkenswaard. It then flows between Waalre and Veldhoven before it reaches

3960-576: The next pier to the south. These two piers which stand in the water, and their connection form the third part. South of this is the girder bridge which connects to the southern shore. The fifth part is the southern access ramp. The bascule bridge has been fixed in place, so the bridge can no longer be opened. The reasons why the Dieze Bridge initially became a movable bridge are not that clear. By 1939 most inland shipping had been motorized. Old photographs point to two possible explanations other that facilitating sailing ships. The most likely seems to provide for

4032-406: The northern span of the Dufferin Street bridges in Toronto since 2014. The first Bailey Bridge built for civilian use in India was on the Pamba river in a place called Ranni in Pathanamthitta district of the state of Kerala. It was on 1996 November 08. In 2017 the Irish Army built a Bailey bridge to replace a road bridge across the Cabry River , in County Donegal, after the original bridge

4104-400: The part of the northern central pier where the axis of the bascule was held. For quite some years 's-Hertogenbosch then had to do with a Bailey bridge , which replaced the girder bridge on the southern side. The bascule bridge was repaired. In February 1951 it saw a bizarre accident, where it was claimed to have opened of its own accord, due to an electrical disturbance. From north to south,

4176-435: The past, there was talk about the Romans navigating the Dommel. Later, the near forests were cut down, and so the river became more shallow and started to meander. In 1863 a Water board (Waterschap) was founded for the Dommel. It had authority in all the municipalities where the Dommel flowed. One of its first priorities was to prevent flooding, especially between 's-Hertogenbosch and Boxtel. If possible, it wanted to canalize

4248-454: The same stretch, and to improve its navigability, but for the latter a lock would be required. C. 1865, the water board diverted the Dommel through the western city moat of 's-Hertogenbosch and made a sluice in the left dyke of the Dieze. The source of the Dommel is in the Kempens Plateau, part of which forms the Hoge Kempen National Park . The exact source is south of Wauberg, near Peer, Belgium . Other brooks on this plateau flow directly to

4320-399: The situation in 2013. Now the Dommel bed is again the primary course of the Dommel in Boxtel, and the Afwateringskanaal Boxtel is only used at high water. An unexpected effect of the Afwateringskanaal is that it allows canoes to make a round trip in Boxtel, the so-called 'Rondje Boxtel'. Boxtel is traditionally said to be the point till which the Dommel is navigable. However, navigability is

4392-401: The south west tip of the Eindhoven municipality. After flowing below a handful of bridges of the motorways A67 and A2, most of the water of the Dommel is taken by the Afwateringskanaal. This canal was dug to prevent flooding in Eindhoven and ends in the Wilhelmina Canal. In the south of Eindhoven, the Dommel flows mainly through parks. First the Genneper Parken, and then the Dommelplantsoen, where

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4464-433: The west of Neerpelt , and then reaches the Bocholt–Herentals Canal . It passes this canal by culverts and sluices . The stretch of the Dommel from the canal near Neerpelt till Valkenswaard is especially valuable. The Dommel first flows through the nature reserve Hageven, and then passes the Dutch border, south of Schaft . From the Dutch-Belgian border the Dommel then drops only 25 meters more. The Dommel then flows along

4536-415: The west side of the city center. At the point where the Dommel turns northward, the Drongelens Canal starts. This was constructed from 1906 to 1910. If the water level on Dommel and Aa is high, this canal is actually the main discharge of both. Here the Dommel in 's-Hertogenbosch is understood as the new bed that is currently called 'Dommel'. Its appearance has been influenced by two major events. The first

4608-406: Was 12 m wide, with sidewalks of 2.5 m wide on each side. A quay would be constructed along the Havendijk, with an access 'tunnel' below the southern ramp. On the southern side the ramp would run from the Brugplein upwards. On the northern side the ramp started near the crossing of the old Orthenstraat with the Citadellaan. On 29 December 1937 Hedel Bridge was opened. It spanned the Meuse north of

4680-471: Was awarded £4,000 in 1936 by the War Office for the use of his early bridges and the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors awarded him £10,000 in 1954 for the use, mainly in Asia, of his later bridges. Lieutenant General Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel was awarded £500 for infringement on the design of his box girder bridge , the Martel bridge. Bailey was later knighted for his invention, and awarded £ 12,000. The first operational Bailey bridge during

4752-402: Was destroyed in floods. In 2021 a Bailey bridge was built across the river Dijle in Rijmenam (Belgium) for the transportation of excavated soil from one side to the other of the river. The bridge allowed the trucks to cross the river without having to pass the city center. In March 2021, the Michigan Department of Transportation constructed a Bailey bridge on M-30 to temporarily reconnect

4824-401: Was done with dry feet. 80 concrete piles of 9 m long were driven into the ground to provide the foundation for two central piers. These are the two piers which now stand in the water. From a technical point of view, they might each consist of two separate piers, but to the eye, there is one northern and one southern pier standing in the water. The northern pier would hold the mechanism which moved

4896-436: Was found on the northern side, then led to a minor change in plans. On 7 March 1939 the order was tendered. It was won by H.J. Nederhorst N.V. (later part of Hollandsche Beton Groep ) from Gouda, for 209,623 guilders. By May 1939 work was in progress. In the center of the rivers, it started with the construction of a 45 m diameter concrete circle with steel walls. Inside were pumps that sucked up water from underground, so work

4968-400: Was found. It was 15–20 m long, and 2 m wide. During World War II, the Netherlands were conquered by Germany in May 1940. During the operations, the Dutch blew up part of the Dieze Bridge. Almost immediately after the fighting, construction was resumed. In September 1940, there was another tender for parts of the access ramps. It was again won by Nederhorst, for 31,785 guilders. In January 1941,

5040-445: Was planned to continue further to the south over Vught , i.e. southwest of the city. One of the urgent problems faced by motor traffic moving from north to south, was the situation in the medieval center of 's-Hertogenbosch. Here the small roads led to many accidents, and above all, to endless congestion and delays. However, the city center had to be traversed in order to cross the Zuid-Willemsvaart and river Aa (Meuse) , just east of

5112-547: Was tested in 1941. For early tests, the bridge was laid across a field, about 2 feet (0.61 m) above the ground, and several Mark V tanks were filled with pig iron and stacked upon each other. The prototype of this was used to span Mother Siller's Channel, which cuts through the nearby Stanpit Marshes , an area of marshland at the confluence of the River Avon and the River Stour . It remains there (   50°43′31″N 1°45′44″W  /  50.7252806°N 1.762155°W  / 50.7252806; -1.762155 ) as

5184-414: Was that the city lost its status as a fortification in the 1880s. It prompted works that canalized the city moat, obliterating many of the fortification works. The second are the post millennial works to restore the fortifications, and to make the Dommel an ecological connection zone. This meant that on the Dommel the fortifications, and in particular the city wall were made visible again. In the Dommel itself

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