Nature strengthened as 'bottle neck' in Oeffelt is addressed

"Nature will be strengthened," said alderwoman Antoinette Maas in De Gelderlander of June 21 about the plans to address the "bottle neck" in the Meuse River in Oeffelt. Part of the plans include the construction of more than 4 kilometers of new Maasheggen in the UNESCO area. There will also be new cycling and hiking trails near Oeffelt, among other things, and a vantage point from which you can look over the Maasheggen area.

After long negotiations, the State, the provinces of Brabant and Limburg, municipality Land van Cuijk, water boards and Staatsbosbeheer have agreed on plans to address the "bottle neck" near Oeffelt. The work is needed to prevent future flooding and flooding of the Meuse River. "Instead of raising the dike, we are giving the Meuse more space. By constructing extra floodplains, in combination with the extra lobe that will come near Gennep, there is much less chance that the Meuse will flood. The effect on the level of the Meuse will be noticeable as far as Venlo," explains deputy Saskia Boelema in the same article. The road section behind the bridge on the Oeffelt side, now still on a soil elevation (slope) that does not allow the Meuse water to pass through, will be placed on piers. This will allow the water to pass under the (extended) bridge. The foundations of pieces of the former railroad line (the Duits Lijntje), parallel to the provincial bridge/road N264 and also responsible for impoundment of the Meuse during high water, will be cleared. Thus, a side channel can be created that can fill up at high water. As a result, the water level of the Meuse will fall by 20 centimeters at high water.
The work will start in 2026. The project should be completed two years later.
Read below the full article from De Gelderlander of June 21, 2024.