It has been revealed that there are serious issues with the software and hardware used on the Afsluitdijk: at times, the system gives inaccurate signals about whether bridges and floodgates are open or closed.
Translation by Traci White
The equipment in question was installed in 2016. The safety mechanisms in the floodgates and bridges at Kornwerderzand and Den Oever are not working correctly. The Leeuwarder Courant says that the system sometimes gives inaccurate signals about whether the bridges or floodgates are actually open or closed.
Omrop Fryslân reports that bridge and floodgate attendants are the only reason that no accidents have yet occurred. The Public Works and Water Management department is reportedly working to determine who is responsible for the software issues. In the meantime, the department is staffing the Afsluitdijk with more workers and installing more cameras.
The department says that it may take up to two years to fully solve the problem: the Afsluitdijk and connected waterways will be closed for up to a week when repairs begin this spring.
The Afsluitdijk, which was completed in 1932, is a causeway between Friesland and North Holland which separates the North Sea from the IJsselmeer and is part of the Netherland’s flood defence system.
Photo source: MD van Leeuwen/Wikipedia
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