Last week, SealteQ began renovating one of the world's most iconic bridges, the Slauerhoff Bridge in Leeuwarden. The bridge, named after Leeuwarden writer and poet J. Slauerhoff, is a unique, ingenious feat of engineering. The bridge's 232m² driving surface is lifted up to 90 degrees ten times a day to allow ships to pass. The bridge, featuring the yellow and blue colors of the Leeuwarden flag, is due for thorough maintenance.
Renovation Slauerhoff Bridge Leeuwarden
Major Maintenance
The symbolic yellow and blue colors and the wearing course of the bridge require thorough maintenance. Work began with removing all rust and loose, cracked, or otherwise damaged paint layers using mechanical tools to achieve a cleanliness grade of St 3 according to ISO-8501-1-1-1988. The surface of the wearing course was blasted by
Service Group
using a mobile shot blasting machine to achieve a cleanliness grade of Sa 3 according to ISO 8501-1/2. The bridge’s concrete structure was cleaned using a steam cleaner at a temperature of 140°C and pressure of 70 bar. The underside of the deck will be treated in September. The underside of the deck will be blast-cleaned with corroded parts being cleaned to a cleanliness grade of Sa 2½.
Coating System Application
Before the coating system application began, the entire structure was first made dust-free. This is necessary for proper adhesion between the coating and the surface. Subsequently, areas where rust had formed were first treated twice with an epoxy primer. After this, the entire bridge was finished with a primer coat. The Slauerhoff Bridge will then be finished in the correct color. In September, SealteQ will resume work to treat the underside of the bridge.