From 14 October 2024 to the end of April 2025 and another week in June, contractor VolkerWessels will renovate the bridge on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat. During this period, road users must take into account a considerable extra travel time of up to 30 minutes at busy times.
Obstruction of road traffic
Preparatory work will start from Monday 14 October to Friday 18 October, including several night closures. Phase 1 will start from Monday 21 October and the bridge will no longer be fully available. This phase will last until Friday 20 December 2024, when the main carriageway (N99) of the Kooybrug will be renewed. During this period, one lane will remain open for traffic towards the Afsluitdijk. During several night closures, the bridge will be closed in both directions. The road surface has been narrowed to ensure the structural safety of the bridge. A maximum speed of 30 km/h applies on the bridge.
Nuisance during the day
Traffic from Den Helder to the Afsluitdijk will have access to the bridge during the day. The bridge will be closed to traffic from the Afsluitdijk to Den Helder. This traffic will be diverted via the N99 to the N249 and the N9 or via the A7 to the N248 and the N9. Yellow signs along the road will indicate the diversion routes. Emergency services and Connexxion buses can continue to use the bridge in both directions. Motorised traffic that cannot use the diversion routes, such as agricultural traffic, can use the bridge in both directions outside rush hour. Rush hours are from 07:00 to 09:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. In the first phase, a free ferry will sail across the North Holland Canal during the day for pedestrians and (moped) cyclists. Traffic is regulated in both directions during the day and at night by using traffic lights and, in special cases, such as at the start of the renovation, by using traffic controllers.
Pedestrians and cyclists via the bridge
Rijkswaterstaat has chosen to allow pedestrians and (moped) cyclists during the 1e phase of the renovation to cross the North Holland Canal via the Kooybrug. Due to the renovation, there will be less space on the Kooybrug for all traffic in the coming months. Initially, pedestrians and (moped) cyclists would cross the North Holland Canal via a ferry. However, the installation of the mooring facility for this ferry on the Balgweg has proven to be technically unfeasible. The work area is now being adjusted in such a way that space is created on the bridge for pedestrians and (moped) cyclists to cross the canal via the bridge. This space is limited. Pedestrians and (moped) cyclists cross alternately and separately from each other, under the supervision of traffic controllers or a traffic light. A waiting time must be taken into account, especially during rush hour. As an alternative, public transport can also be used.
Nuisance at night
At night, the same situation applies as during the day, except during various night closures. During the night closures that last from 22:00 to 05:00, the bridge is completely closed to traffic. Except for emergency services and Connexxion buses, which always have access. Traffic towards Den Helder is diverted via the N99 to the N249 and the N9 or via the A7 to the N248 and the N9. Traffic towards the Afsluitdijk is diverted via the N9 and the N249 or N248. The night closures during the first phase will take place from:
- Monday evening October 14th to Friday morning October 18th;
- Sunday evening October 20 to Saturday morning October 26;
- Monday evening 11 November to Wednesday morning 13 November;
- Monday evening December 2 to Saturday morning December 7, 2024.
Follow-up work
In principle, no work will be carried out during the Christmas holidays. The bridge will then be open to all traffic from Saturday 21 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025. The bridge will not be operated, the height restriction for ships with a mast height of 8.30 m remains in force. On Monday 6 January 2025, the work will continue until the end of April 2025 with additional traffic disruption, and another week in May or June when the bridge will be completely closed for a week. The weather conditions will affect the work. In the event of bad weather and/or unforeseen circumstances, the work may be postponed.
More information
More information about the renovation of the Kooybrug can be found on the project site: www.rws.nl/kooybrug. The full overview of all phases and (night) closures will also be available here soon. Per phase, it will be made clear what is closed, which diversion route applies and how long the closure will last.
