Kaagbrug

Spanning the Ringvaart canal, the Kaagbrug bascule bridge stands as a gateway between two provinces. The Kaagbrug marks the boundary of South Holland and North Holland. This 140-meter-long bridge carries the A44 motorway. Its two bascule leaves rise to allow boats passage on the Ringvaart. The Kaagbrug isn’t just a bridge. It’s a vital artery, pulsating with the rhythm of approximately 66,800 vehicles daily. Built in 1939, the Kaagbrug reflects the design standards of its time. It has a rather narrow configuration with 2×2 lanes. Notice the concrete barriers. They serve as the median strip and also act as protection along the edges of the roadways. Due to these tight dimensions, a 100 km/h speed limit is enforced on this section of the A44. East of the Kaagbrug, you’ll find another movable bridge, this one part of the Schiphol railway line. Interestingly, the Kaagbrug was constructed simultaneously with what was then Rijksweg 4, the highway connecting Amsterdam and Sassenheim. A 1937 newspaper article detailed the awarding of the bridge’s substructure contract to Christiani & Nielsen’s reinforced concrete company in The Hague. The contract was worth approximately 104,000 euros today. Some sources suggest the Kaagbrug might have opened as early as June 25, 1938. This coincided with the opening of the Sassenheim section of what is now the A44. Later, in the late 1960s, the new A4 motorway east of Leiden opened. Rijksweg 4, including the Kaagbrug, was renumbered as A44. The Kaagbrug underwent major maintenance in 2008, overseen by Rijkswaterstaat. However, in January 2013, the bridge experienced several technical malfunctions, causing traffic jams when the bascule leaves refused to close. The future of the Kaagbrug involves another major overhaul. As of 2023, plans indicate the Kaagbrug’s replacement will be part of a larger Project A44. This project aims to replace five 1930s structures, with the Kaagbrug’s replacement scheduled to begin around 2027.