# Houtribdijk bridges to be renewed from 2030 to 2034

> Infrastructure Minister Vincent Karremans told parliament the money to replace the steel bridge leaves on the N307 between Enkhuizen and Lelystad is now available, with a weight restriction planned.

Politics · published 2026-10-27 11:05 · https://nlnow.nl/a/houtribdijk-bridges-to-be-renewed-from-2030-minister-says/

Work to renew the whole Houtrib complex, including the steel bridges on the N307 between Enkhuizen and Lelystad, will start in 2030 and finish in 2034, Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Vincent Karremans told MPs. He was answering parliamentary questions from Van der Plas (BBB) about the planned weight restriction on the Houtribbruggen.

The complex covers the locks, steel bridges and control building. A planning phase began at the end of 2022,, but there was no concrete building schedule then because funds were lacking. "The necessary funds are now available," the minister wrote.

The Houtribbruggen consist of several concrete approaches and two movable steel bridges over the lock chambers. Inspections in 2019 found the concrete approaches in moderate condition. For the steel bridge leaves, where small cracks have now appeared, the conclusion then was "no risk".

The minister said the term "end of life" was used in inspection reports for the mechanical parts of the movable bridges, not for the steel leaves or the concrete approaches.

A study of heavier traffic on the concrete approaches was partly carried out in 2015, with more research in 2020. It concluded that heavier traffic is not a problem if the concrete structure and expansion joints are maintained in good time. That maintenance has not been done because money was short, the minister said. It is now planned before 2030.

The risk of cracking in the steel leaves first became known in 2024. Extra inspections followed, a wind limit was introduced, and the cracks were welded as emergency repairs in 2025. The latest inspections took place in August 2026.

## Background

- **Kamervragen**: Kamervragen are written questions that members of the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) put to a minister about government policy or an事件 in the minister's area. The minister must answer them in writing, and both the questions and the answers are published. They are one of the main ways parliament monitors the government between debates.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/