Usually, a bridge connects land separated by water. This one allows water to pass over a road. Impressive, right? This amazing water bridge is the Veluwemeer Aqueduct. It holds a 10-foot-deep canal that allows boats to cross over the N302 highway in the Netherlands.
The N302 connects the mainland to the island province of Flevoland, and the highway briefly dips below Lake Veluwemeer giving us this beautiful water bridge worthy of becoming a touristic spot by itself.
While drawbridges, ferries, and tunnels are more practical options, the ingenious engineers that designed them opted against them when they built the road from 1998 to 2002. Since the N302 is a major road used by more than 28,000 cars per day, stopping the traffic flow with a drawbridge or a ferry terminal would have been a traffic nightmare.
Making a tunnel wasn’t an option either mainly because it would’ve been far more expensive than the $61 million spent on this beauty. This elegant solution was a cost-effective way for the two-lane highway’s traffic to flow uninterrupted while also allowing boats to pass freely at all times of the day.
This marvel of engineering uses 22,000 cubic meters of concrete to support the weight of the water above the cars. It also uses steel sheet piling to prevent sediment from leaking onto the highway. Besides letting boats pass over the road, this unique bridge also has sidewalks on both sides so pedestrians can also cross over the highway.
Well, thought-out projects like this one show that engineering can be both useful and beautiful. Have you ever seen anything like this?
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