SUSHANT MAJI
New delhi– A historic bridge in Rotterdam will be temporarily dismantled to enable a $485 million superyacht built for US billionaire Jeff Bezos to pass through, according to Dutch media reports.
The bridge, which is to be pulled apart, is called The Koningshavenbrug dates back to 1878 and was rebuilt after being damaged by German bombing during World War II.
Known to locals as De Hef, it was renovated in 2017 and the council promised at the time they wouldn’t dismantle it again.
Local broadcaster Rijnmond said on Wednesday that this pledge is set to be broken to let through Bezos’ yacht, which is still under construction.
The decision has sparked a wave of anger in the Netherlands as the local council promised after a major renovation in 2017 that it would never again dismantle the bridge, according to an AFP report.
The mayor’s office insisted on the economic benefits and jobs created by the construction of the boat at a Dutch shipyard, but promised that the bridge would be restored to its present shape.
“It’s the only route to the sea,” a spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP, adding that billionaire Bezos would foot the bill for the operation.
The middle section of the huge steel-girdered bridge will be removed to give enough clearance for the 40-metre (130-foot) high boat, Dutch media reported.
The process will take a few weeks and is expected to happen this summer.
Bezos, 57, is the founder of US tech giant Amazon and one of the world’s richest men. (IANS)
