Brienenoordbrug – The major bridge over the Maas

Three bridges cross the Maas at Rotterdam. Two of them are in the centre and especially the Erasmus Bridge is quite popular nowadays. I think that has mostly to do with media publicity, trying to make this bridge the mark of Rotterdam. But for me the Brienenoord Bridge is THE mark of Rotterdam.

The bridge was built in 1965 and named after the island below. It was rather slim and transparent for its time, what made it an example for other bridges. The capacity wasn’t sufficient for its daily traffic, so in 1990 the bridge was doubled.

Whenever we would take the car and drive outside Rotterdam for holidays or to visit relatives, my brother and I did this game. After the contest, who saw the most caravans, we would play ‘Who saw the Brienenoord Bridge first’. So I remember sitting in my fathers car staring outside, in search for the bridge desperately. I knew whenever I saw the bridge, I had not only won the contest… I was home.

These days whenever doing a bike tour around Rotterdam, I always include the bridge. Not only is the length and steepness is a challenge on its own, I love the feeling of riding free-falling downhill. With the wind in my back, my personal record on this bridge is set on 42km/hour. I do suggest to take the bridge from the north to the south if you want to ride down that hill, since at the other side there is this sharp hairpin bend.