Afsluitdijk with the Wadden Sea (a part of the North Sea) on the left and the IJsselmeer on the right
The Afsluitdijk (Dutch:[ˈɑfslœydɛik]ⓘ; West Frisian: Ofslútdyk; Dutch Low Saxon: Ofsluutdiek; English: "Closure Dyke") is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of Zurich in Friesland province, over a length of 32 kilometres (20 mi) and a width of 90 metres (300 ft), at an initial height above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum of between 6.7 metres (22 ft) along the section at Friesland, and 7.4 metres (24 ft) where it crosses the deep channel of the Vlieter. The height at the greater sea depths west of Friesland was required to be a minimum of 7 metres everywhere when originally constructed.
Increases to the height of the Afsluitdijk have been made several times since 1958, when height increases were undertaken during regular maintenance periods as a result of the North Sea Flood of 1953, with the section between the Stevinsluizen and Lorentzsluizen sluice complexes seeing the crest level raised to 7.8 metres.[1] Major upgrade works commenced in 2019, with one of the design conditions being that only limited wave overtopping during the design storm condition be permitted. The design proposed by the successful contractor to meet this criterion will see a further increase in the height of the dam, by approximately 2 metres.[2]
The Afsluitdijk is a fundamental part of the larger Zuiderzee Works, damming off the Zuiderzee, a salt water inlet of the North Sea, and turning it into the fresh water lake of the IJsselmeer. It is a major landwinning project and a quicker road-connection between the North and West of the Netherlands.
The highway on the Afsluitdijk was the initial demonstration site for a 130 km/h (81 mph) speed limit in the Netherlands.[3]
^Thijsse, J. Th. (1972). Een halve eeuw Zuiderzeewerken 1920-1970 [A half century of the Zuiderzee Works 1920-1970] (in Dutch). H.D. Tjeenk Willink B.V., Groningen. pp. 156–160. OCLC 5439270. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^Rijkswaterstaat, Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat. "Project Afsluitdijk" ["Afsluitdijk Project"]. www.rijkswaterstaat.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
^"Holland's first 130 km/h road is the Afsluitdijk". DutchNews.nl. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2012. The speed limit on the Afsluitdijk, the stretch of the A7 on the dyke between Wognum in North Holland and Zürich in Friesland, has been increased to 130 km/h from Tuesday.
The Afsluitdijk (Dutch: [ˈɑfslœydɛik] ; West Frisian: Ofslútdyk; Dutch Low Saxon: Ofsluutdiek; English: "Closure Dyke") is a major dam and causeway in...
The Battle of the Afsluitdijk of 12–14 May 1940 was an unsuccessful attempt by German Wehrmacht forces to seize the Afsluitdijk during the invasion of...
Zuiderzee and constructing the Afsluitdijk to keep tides and high water out. In 1932 the Zuiderzee was closed off by the Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometre (20 mi)...
Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea by the construction of the Afsluitdijk, leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea. The...
later used to drain lakes, creating the famous polders. In 1932 the Afsluitdijk ("Closure Dike") was completed, blocking the former Zuiderzee (Southern...
number of prominent dikes which also double as causeways, including the Afsluitdijk, Brouwersdam, and Markerwaarddijk. In the Republic of Panama a causeway...
Breesândyk) is a small community that lies near the midpoint of the Afsluitdijk, part of the A7 motorway, in the Netherlands. It is located on a former...
which was turned into the freshwater IJsselmeer by the closure of the Afsluitdijk in 1932. Almost all of the land belonging to Flevoland was reclaimed...
of the Iron Cross. He was the German commander in the Battle of the Afsluitdijk on 12–14 May 1940. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 August 1941...
founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdijk that made the reclamation possible. Lelystad is situated approximately...
Netherlands Maastricht Mill The Hague Rotterdam Zeeland The Grebbeberg Afsluitdijk Rotterdam Blitz Belgium Fort Eben-Emael Hannut David Gembloux La Lys...
has significantly been reduced by the closing of the Zuiderzee by the Afsluitdijk in 1932 (250 km) and the closing of several sea arms by the Delta Works...
the closing of the Afsluitdijk (Barrier Dam) on May 28, 1932, the Zuiderzee was split in two parts: the waters below the Afsluitdijk are now called the...
Kornwerderzand (West Frisian: Koarnwertersân) is a village on the Afsluitdijk, a major dam in the Netherlands that links Friesland with North Holland...
Netherlands Maastricht Mill The Hague Rotterdam Zeeland The Grebbeberg Afsluitdijk Rotterdam Blitz Belgium Fort Eben-Emael Hannut David Gembloux La Lys...
Netherlands Maastricht Mill The Hague Rotterdam Zeeland The Grebbeberg Afsluitdijk Rotterdam Blitz Belgium Fort Eben-Emael Hannut David Gembloux La Lys...
referred to a dijk, and not to a dam. It was generally called afsluitdijk till the 1932 Afsluitdijk was built.) This planned location seems in line with a location...
Netherlands Maastricht Mill The Hague Rotterdam Zeeland The Grebbeberg Afsluitdijk Rotterdam Blitz Belgium Fort Eben-Emael Hannut David Gembloux La Lys...
served as the rear light of a pair of leading lights. In 1930, when the Afsluitdijk was finished, the tower was relocated to the eastern end of Wieringen...
900 sq mi). Within the Netherlands, it is bounded from the IJsselmeer by the Afsluitdijk. Historically, the coastal regions were often subjected to large floods...
largely undefended. State-of-the-art fortifications at the east end of the Afsluitdijk (the long dike connecting the Friesland and North Holland provinces)...
from the mainland to Urk ended the town's island status, just as the Afsluitdijk project was changing the salt water Zuiderzee surrounding Urk to the...
to chair a committee to calculate some of the effects of the proposed Afsluitdijk (Enclosure Dam) flood control dam on water levels in the Waddenzee. Hydraulic...
Netherlands Maastricht Mill The Hague Rotterdam Zeeland The Grebbeberg Afsluitdijk Rotterdam Blitz Belgium Fort Eben-Emael Hannut David Gembloux La Lys...
such as necessitate the Thames Barrier, Delta Works, Zuiderzee works (Afsluitdijk and other dams). In the UK Shipping Forecast the Channel is divided into...
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