Deventer: Return of the Pontoon Bridge
For about 350 years, the Deventer Pontoon Bridge was an important connection between the west and east of the Netherlands. With the opening of nearby Wilhelmina Bridge in 1948, this remarkable river crossing became obsolete. But now the Pontoon Bridge is back, or well, a nostalgic reference to it. As a by-catch of the Room for the River project.
Animation
A few days before Christmas, I was in Deventer once again. This time I was more lucky with the weather than a few months ago. Finally the sky looked more or less like in the images and animations that I made for Room for the River. And also the bank near the IJsselhotel looked like it did in my visualizations, since the project, with the aim to reduce the risk of flooding, has recently been completed.
For an optimum experience, when viewing the animation the use of headphones is recommended:
The new channel
From Wilhelmina Bridge, you have a nice overview of the area. On the right we see the river IJssel, on the left Worp Park with the IJssel Hotel, and in the foreground the newly created channel that connects a nearby lake called Bolwerksplas with the river:
The pontoon bridge
As an extension of the Avenue, at the former location (1600-1948) of the famous pontoon bridge, a pier has been constructed for the ferry. The pier has a floating section and as a result can be used even at extreme water levels. The design, with the floating part built on two boats, is referring to the historic bridge:
Skyline
The pier is a beautiful spot to view the Room for the River project, though the Deventer skyline, dominated by Lebuïnus Church, also attracts a lot of attention:
Islands in the stream
From the pier there is also a good view of the peninsula between the river and the new channel, as well as the new island breakwaters in the river:
The staircase
Next to the pier at the new embankment, a staircase with seating elements has been made, which also creates a fine place to enjoy the view. On this day in December it was in fact almost warm enough to have a picnic:
Under the bridge
Of course we also take a look underneath the pier. A sturdy anthracite colored steel construction with a wooden deck:
One last glance
And from the city side quay we take one last look at Worp Park with the new pontoon bridge:
Other Room for the River projects: Nijmegen – Noordwaard – IJsseldelta
