A Look at the Afsluitdijk
The Afsluitdijk is one of the modern marvels of engineering. It is the major component of the damming of the Zuiderzee. I could imagine how a river is dammed. Which basically consists of a series of explosions to put rocks in the way of the water. However, for something as large as this part of the Zuiderzee, it is a totally different matter. It isn’t really as difficult as it seems, it helped a lot of that this part of the sea was quite shallow so it was relatively easier to start building the the dike. Sand and rocks were poured along two parallel lines until the pile reached the surface. The water in between was them pumped out and filled in as well. Several layers were put here to strengthen the structure. Finally grass and the highway was built.
Look at How High the Dike is
This construction project surprisingly, didn’t take very long. With the technology of the time, it is truly an impressive feat. With the Zuidezee now dammed. The trapped water eventually turned fresh due to the rivers which feed into the new lake. One of these rivers is the IJssel river. This is where the artificial lake got it name – IJsselmeer. Looking across either side of the Aflsuitdijk, it is almost impossible to see the other side. It is that far away. We were here at a stopover along the Aflsuitdijk to take a look at a place which commemorates the completion of the megastructure. There is a walkway to cross the highway and you get a great view of the oncoming traffic.
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