January 4, 2024 at 10:26 am Update: 12 minutes ago
The Stuwweg bridge in Maastricht is at risk of collapsing after a houseboat collided with it on Thursday morning. The boat had come loose and was being dragged away by the strong current.
The impact caused the collapse of one of the pillars in the center of the bridge. According to the South Limburg Security Region, a node is visible. No one is allowed on the bridge.
Emergency services closed the bridge on Wednesday evening. The bridge forms the connection between where the houseboats are moored and the rest of the region.
The houseboat drifted away where a section of the dam had been swept away by the high waters of the Meuse. There was no one in the houseboat, still leaning against the bridge.
It is not yet clear what happens to the boat that broke free. According to a spokesperson for the security region, it can only be recovered after the water disappears. “Until then we will try to secure the boat so that nothing happens to it.”
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A houseboat crashed into a bridge in Maastricht
Residents of thirty houseboats evacuated
On Wednesday, due to the strong current, a 120 meter wide spillway broke over a width of 50 meters. As a result, the houseboats were at risk of tilting sideways.
A spillway is a raised wall designed to retain water. Water may flow during high tide.
All thirty houseboats between the Maas and the Zuid-Willemsvaart in the Boschpoort district were therefore evacuated. Residents are accommodated in hotels and a local water sports club. They are not allowed to return to take things, the security region reports.
Maastricht Mayor Wim Hillenaar spoke to the inhabitants of the houseboats on Thursday morning.
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Rijkswaterstaat wants to stabilize houseboats
The Rijkswaterstaat called in contractors on Thursday to look into the situation with the houseboats. They are trying to figure out how to stabilize the houseboats to prevent other boats from drifting away.
It’s not easy. “The problem is that we cannot access the bridge and the terrain around it is very swampy due to heavy rain. The question is whether it is possible to use heavy equipment,” says Rijkswaterstaat.
They are also considering how to approach the restoration of the dam. The hole in the dam widened during the night between Wednesday and Thursday. The Rijkswaterstaat is “doing everything possible to close the gap as quickly as possible.”
The high tide of the Maas will reach its peak on Thursday in Maastricht. But according to the security region this has no influence on the situation around the dam and the boats.
2024-01-04 09:26:00
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