Driving across the sea is more often not possible than possible; the section between the Dutch provinces of
Noord-Holland and
Friesland is one of the few places where you can actually do it, via the
Afsluitdijk (enclosure dam).
The design of the dike was prepared by the Dutch civil engineer,
Cornelis Lely 25 years ahead of the actual construction. In 1916, the government finally gave the green light to commence the plan (mainly to prevent the usual floodings from the sea), but due to the First World War, the works had to be put on hold. The construction eventually begun in 1927 and was completed in 1932, converting the
Zuiderzee into a freshwater inland lake, the
IJsselmeer. The Afsluitdijk also carries the
A7/E22 motorway running from the German border all the way to Amsterdam.
The entire structure looks massive and vastly impressive, who would have thought that it will slowly reach its 100th birthday? I would have loved to see the faces when this whole idea was first proposed in 1891! Then again, most of the greatest achievements of mankind might have sounded somewhat loony when they were first put on the table; but he who laughs last, laughs longest, in this particular case, 30-km long.
