Among boaters, this spot is better known as “the bridge by the ice cream shop”, a place where people used to moor briefly for an ice cream. Sadly, ice cream parlour De IJsbeer is no longer there. The bridge, however, has been given a completely new lease of life and is ready for many more years of service.
It has been fitted with a new road surface, the entire upper structure has been dismantled and all the technology has been replaced. The barriers are now operated automatically and a completely new bridge keeper’s house has been built next to the bridge. The old one has been demolished.
In addition to the bridge renovation, the access road — Herenweg Zuid — was also redesigned and made safer for traffic. Car traffic was closed off throughout the works, but cyclists and pedestrians could use an attractive temporary route: a floating walkway running behind the houses along the Herenweg.
This route followed the Geuzensloot, where Van Schie came up with the perfect solution using VSP pontoons.
The system consists of units that are connected almost seamlessly and fitted with a flat anti-slip deck. In the Geuzensloot, 29 units were used, running all the way to the other rustic drawbridge. One local resident even commented: “Beautiful. Put a red carpet over it and you’ve got yourself a perfect catwalk for a fashion show.”
The client for this project was Griekspoor B.V. from Nieuw-Vennep.
