Het "Krúsrak" Sneek...

The city of Sneek has had a new landmark since November 2008: a large wooden arch bridge as viaduct over the A7. The bridge stands at Akkerwinde and was named "Krúsrak" and later in 2009 gets a twin brother at the Molenkrite location, which was named "Dúvelsrak". The road surface is made of steel, 32 meters long and stands 5 meters above the A7. What makes the bridge unique is the 16 meter high wooden beams that support the bridge with their arch shape.

Normally, road bridges are made of concrete or steel, because wood is simply not strong enough to keep the weight of passing cars and trucks. But contractor Schaffitzel from Swäbisch Hall in Germany used a special type of wood, Accoya, for the design. Accoya wood comes from the production forests of New Zealand, but has the power of tropical hardwood thanks to a special acytilatic treatment.

The designer predicts that the wooden arches will last for eighty years.