Please be advised that the outbound maritime traffic has preference over the inbound traffic. Please start transiting only after the Bridge Attendant has signaled the free passage by giving the green light.
Friday morning November 21, 2008 during the early morning hours when the road traffic is at its lightest the Engineers of Hofman Sliedrecht NV and the Inspectors of Rijkswaterstaat will be doing some test runs to ensure the proper functioning of the moving mechanisms of the bridge.
The new motor and the installed speed controller make it possible to operate the bridge to be operated at a higher speed limit than before. A data monitoring and logger system keeps track of the bridge's performance.
As indicated before, during the repair period the road traffic will be interrupted with short intervals when it is necessary to install the scaffolding, to deliver material to the worksite or to position the bucket truck
From Friday November 21, 2008 on, the bridge will open every morning at 09:30 hours and every afternoon at 17:30 hours for both inbound and outbound traffic.
According to work schedule the permanent repairs will be finalized next week. Hofman Sliedrecht B.V. will work continuously during the nights and on Saturdays to shorten the repair period as much as possible.
After the permanent repair work has finalized, the bridge will return to its normal scheduled opening hours for the off season being 09:30 - 11:30 and 17:30 hours.
The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation will keep informing the maritime sector as well as the general public about the bridge opening times as soon as there is any change in the work schedule.
All facility holders, docks, piers and marinas will receive the information by fax or by e-mail or will be visited by employees of the SLAC.
The permanent repairs to the structure and the moving mechanisms of the bridge are imperative to ensure the continuous safety and security of the bridge operation.
The recommendations made by Rijkswaterstaat, (the Dutch Authority for Waterworks and Bridges) in their report of March 2007 are executed to ensure the durability and longevity of the Simpson Bay bridge. After the permanent repairs, the Inspectors will once more submit their findings in a report to the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority
For any further information please call the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority's Collection Office at the Police Station in Simpson Bay next to the bridge at telno: 545 3183 or via the Police Station at telephone number 545 5500/01/02/03/04/05 or call the Bridge Operator on VHF channel 12.