Lemmer-Delfzijl Waterway in Netherlands and Swing Span Removal

Lemmer: (Satellite)

Delfzijl: (Satellite)

Swing Span: (Satellite)

The waterway is "over 118 kilometres of canal with 32 movable bridges, 11 locks, six mooring facilities and several control buildings." [heijmans]

"The Lemmer-Delfzijl main waterway consists of 3 canals: the Prinses Margriet Canal, the Van Starkenborg Canal and the Eems Canal. The waterway makes the provinces of Groningen and Friesland accessible to commercial and recreational shipping. In addition, it connects Northern Germany with the important ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam." [spie]

Condor3d, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Swing Span Removal:

Mammoet posted

When a vessel hit this bridge, Mammoet's engineers sprung into action - removing it in a single piece, loading it out for repair, and then placing it carefully back into position.

That's not all - as restrictions were applied to the sailing width of the transport pontoon, an overlapping skid system was produced to first transfer the bridge and then retract its support beams.

🤝 Thanks to Heijmans for the teamwork, and the footage! 🤝

Rijkswaterstaat

At first, I wasn't going to try to find the bridge in over 118km of waterway, but then I noticed that the first scene showed the bridge has near a large body of water with fields near the lake. So I looked for it on a satellite map starting with Delfzijl. At first, I didn't find it because I thought I was looking East. When I realized that I could be looking the other direction, I soon found it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2wA6E74vc8zNTCAN9.

Above video @ 0:00

I used the green building to the right of the crane in the screenshot to verify that I had the correct swing bridge.

Street View, Jul 2022

This is one of many photos on Flickr concerning bridges on the waterway, but I could not find a description of the work. I can't even decide if they are removing or installing a bridge span.

Flickr from Album

 

1950 Dickinson Dam on Heart River At Dickinson, ND

(Satellite)

It had a structural height of 65' [20m]. [Google search results]

It impounds the Edward Arthur Patterson Lake.

Bureau of Reclamation posted three photos with the comment:

The Dickinson Dam on the Heart River near Dickinson, ND, was built in just one year (1949-1950) and stands 2,275 feet [693m] long and 24 feet [7.3m] wide. Over the years, upgrades have boosted its water capacity and made it a prime spot for recreation! 

With 1,191 acres of water, 1,276 acres of land, and 22 miles of shoreline, there's something for everyone – from fishing and boating to hiking and disc golf. Come enjoy the outdoors at this hidden gem

1

2

3

I had to go back to Dec 2010 to find water going over the spillway.

Google Earth, Dec 2010

It is not just the TVA valley (2025 TVA Flood) that is wet this year.

noaa

It is just 1.5' (a half meter) from going over the service crest.

noaa

I presume that this is the auxiliary spillway. It looks like unprotected earth. At least it is undisturbed earth. I guess that is a lot stronger than the earth used to build the dam.

Satellite

Osborn's Studio, “Adler Construction Company (Dickinson Dam Construction),” Southwestern North Dakota Digital Archive At the Dickinson Museum Center, accessed February 27, 2025, https://dmc.omeka.net/items/show/38259.

In 1954, just four years after it was built, a flood tore the spillway apart.

“Dickinson Dam Flood,” Southwestern North Dakota Digital Archive At the Dickinson Museum Center, accessed February 27, 2025, https://dmc.omeka.net/items/show/26578.

Citation: Osborn, “Dickinson dam flood,” Southwestern North Dakota Digital Archive At the Dickinson Museum Center, accessed February 27, 2025, https://dmc.omeka.net/items/show/5100.

At least there was competent bedrock under the spillway so that the crest was not undercut.

Dickinson Dam Flood,” Southwestern North Dakota Digital Archive At the Dickinson Museum Center, accessed February 27, 2025, https://dmc.omeka.net/items/show/26572.

Osborn, “Dickinson dam flood,” Southwestern North Dakota Digital Archive At the Dickinson Museum Center, accessed February 27, 2025, https://dmc.omeka.net/items/show/5070.