Moerdijk bridges

The Moerdijk bridges in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

are

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s that connect the Island of Dordrecht with the Dutch province of

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to th ...

(''Noord-Brabant'') across the ''

Hollands Diep Hollands Diep ( pre-1947 spelling: Hollandsch Diep) is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp. The Bergse Maas river and the Ni ...

''. The first bridge was built at the end of the 19th century, and was a

railway bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. The second bridge was built in the 1930s for road traffic, and is currently part of the A16

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. This bridge was replaced in 1978 by a more modern, wider bridge. A second railroad bridge was finished in 2006, as part of the

HSL-Zuid The HSL-Zuid ( nl, Hogesnelheidslijn Zuid, en, High-speed Line South), is a 125 kilometre-long (78 miles) Dutch high-speed railway line running between the Amsterdam metropolitan area and the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda, Nort ...

project. At the beginning of the Battle of Holland, on 10 May 1940, bridges were captured during a paratroopers operation and held for 4 days until German forward forces arrived. In 1944, both the road and railway bridge were destroyed by the Germans to prevent the Allied Forces from reaching the province

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

. Bridges over the Meuse Bridges over the Rhine Railway bridges in the Netherlands Road bridges in the Netherlands Steel bridges in the Netherlands Bridges in North Brabant Bridges in South Holland Buildings and structures in Dordrecht Transport in Dordrecht Transport in Moerdijk {{Netherlands-bridge-struct-stub