144-year-old bridge to be dismantled just so Jeff Bezos's super yacht can pass through | indy100

Historic Dutch Bridge To Be Dismantled For Jeff Bezos’ Megayacht

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A 144-year-old historic bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands is set to be partially destroyed to allow for billionaire Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, to pass through on his super-yacht.

Dutch company, Oceano, is currently building Bezos' 417 ft (127 m) yacht which will be the world's largest sailing yacht when finished. The project, known as Y721, was commissioned by Bezos in 2018.

The super-yacht will be ready in 2022 but the size of the boat was a problem for Rotterdam due to the Koningshaven bridge.

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The bridge, nicknamed "De Hef" by locals is 131 ft (39.9 m) high which does not accommodate Bezos' 130 ft (39.6 m) tall boat.

The shipyard building Bezos' boat asked the local council if they could remove a central section of the bridge to allow the super-yacht to pass through. The council agreed.

"It's the only route to the sea," said a spokesperson from Rotterdam's mayoral office said to the AFP news agency. Frances van Heijst, the Rotterdam municipality spokeswoman, confirmed to The Washington Post that the Amazon founder would be paying for the minor renovation. Although the cost details could not be described.

Many people on social media have expressed their disappointment in the dismantling of Def Hef due to its historic nature.

I am going to throw stuff at Jeff Bezos' yachthttps://twitter.com/DutchNewsNL/status/1488796120948088834\u00a0\u2026
— Rory Stott (@Rory Stott) 1643811733

The bridge was originally opened in 1927 as a railway bridge. Since then the Koningshaven bridge, a historic landmark, has undergone multiple renovations.

In the 1940s De Hef was rebuilt after World War II when the bridge was bombed by Nazi Germany. In 2017 the bridge had major renovations which the local council said would be the last time the bridge would be dismantled.

The Koningshaven Bridge in the Netherlands is set to be dismantled for Jeff Bezos super-yacht to pass-through Getty Images

Marcel Walravens, Rotterdam's local authority project leader, said the project was important for the Netherlands' economic prosperity citing Rotterdam as the "maritime capital of Europe".

The project is expected to take place during the summer only lasting a few weeks.

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