Assen | Blue Clap

The upgrading of canal De Blauwe As in Assen required a new bridge that could open quickly and easily to welcome water sports enthusiasts to the city. This bridge, at one of the city's most important intersections, had to be a crowning feature of the series of bridges over the canal. A bridge that is not only functional, but also an eye-catcher. That became De Blauwe Klap, designed by ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects.

FiberCore supplied the cover panels of the pivot axis for this bridge. This pivot axis continues under all the bridges, making 14 panels. These panels are part of the road surface and thus carry the full traffic load, but are lightweight and therefore easy to remove for maintenance and inspection.

Photography: Eric Bakker