New Cycle bridge Nigtevecht (Prov Utrecht, Netherlands)

[627] The brand new cycle bridge over the Amsterdam Rhine Canal between Nigtevecht and Abcoude can be used. The official opening is on 7 September 2018. More information in the blog post: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p=13440

This new cycle bridge over the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal… can be used since the 3rd of august 2018. It lies in the very rural area between Nigtevecht and Abcoude, at the border of the provinces Utrecht and North-Holland. The bridge reconnects a small road that was cut in two… when the canal was first built in the 1880s. The last ferry was closed in the late 1960s. There is now a much shorter cycle route to the train station in Abcoude, with connections to Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam. Schools in Aboude are now much closer for the students east of the canal. Not everything is completely finished yet. There will be stairs for pedestrians. People will not have to walk the full length of the access ramps. The stairs are waiting on both sides of the bridge. They will be up before the official opening. Minor details on the bridge need to be finished too. Workers are still very much present. The bridge deck is 10 metres over the water of the 100 metre wide canal. This height offers wonderful views over the surroundings. The church towers of Abcoude. And even the skyline of nearby Amsterdam. The bridge deck over the canal is 5 meters wide and includes a foot way. Since the access ramps do not need to be used by pedestrians… they are only 4 meters wide. The bridge is not lit at night, because it is in a nature reserve. Glow-in-the-dark disks in the surface must guide people in the dark. The west access ramp is rather straight and 346 metres long. Looking like a balcony from the trees. Its columns are in the water. The east access ramp has a double hairpin bend due to space issues. The many bends offer an often changing view when you cycle here. The people cycling the ramp look impressive themselves, when they change direction several times. This access ramp is 294 metres long. The new bridge has cost about 11 million euros. its official opening will be on the 7th of September 2018.