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Locals of a Dutch port city are not happy with the decision to dismantle a historic bridge to allow room for Jeff Bezos’ superyacht to pass through.
The city of Rotterdam will temporarily break down the historic Koningshavenbrug Bridge because the billionaire’s yacht, which is 417 ft long, won’t fit, according to the Agence France-Presse.
The superyacht is being built by the Oceano shipyard in Alblasserdam, Netherlands and will have to pass through the port city. According to Dutch News, in order to make room for the yacht, the middle section of the huge steel bridge will be removed. Bezos will reportedly be the one to pay for the deconstruction of the bridge.
According to the mayor’s office told AFP that dismantling the bridge has created several jobs for the community. Plus, the bridge will quickly be rebuilt to its original form afterward.
“It‘s the only route to the sea,” a mayoral spokesman told AFP in response to the concerns.
Rotterdam’s local authority project leader Marcel Walravens had those same sentiments, saying it would not be practical to finish the yacht’s construction elsewhere.
He told the Rijnmond website the project was “very important” from an economic perspective and cited Rotterdam‘s reputation as the “maritime capital of Europe”.
“Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are an important pillar of the municipality,” he said.
The Koningshavenbrug bridge was built in 1878 and was reconstructed after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II. According to reports from the BBC, after a major renovation to the bridge in 2017, the local council promised it would never dismantle the bridge again. Because of this, the announcement that the bridge will be taken apart again has made some residents angry.
Hopefully, they can find a solution that makes everyone happy.