Van der Ende working on one of the most beautiful bridges in the Netherlands

After having been commissioned to do so by the Urban Development department of the Municipality of Rotterdam, Van der Ende has started to conduct a number of blasting and preservation tests.

In 2014, a start will be made with major repair on “De Hef”. This bridge, which dates from 1878 has been completely repainted no less than 9 times during its long life.

In many places, the thickness of these layers of paint is now in excess of 2,000 microns. This is no longer a good base on which to apply more layers of paint. It is expected that the entire bridge will have to be gritblasted back to the bare steel.

The tests currently being carried out are intended to identify the best preparatory treatment. The report will be presented to the Municipality of Rotterdam at the end of September. The technical specifications will be drawn up on the basis of this report.