Bailey Bridge Mosselgoren

The graceful metal arch bridge, which spanned the Herentals-Bocholt canal in the Mosselgoren, was blown up by the Belgian army in 1940, when the German troops invaded Belgium. Since 1940, the municipality has operated a ferry service for residents. In 1963, a new, albeit temporary, bridge was constructed in the Mosselgoren: the Bailey Bridge that spanned the Albert Canal in Stelen. The bridge in Stelen was replaced by a permanent concrete bridge that had been under construction since 1962.

A Bailey bridge is a bridge that consists of standard segments and as such can be constructed very quickly. The basis of the design is a truss bridge. This type of bridge was primarily designed for use by army engineers and can span a maximum of 60 meters and carry heavy vehicles. This type of bridge is still in use for military and civil applications and is regarded worldwide as a fine example of military engineering.

The 'beautiful bridge' at this location is a Bailey bridge from the Second World War. The concept behind the Bailey Bridge, introduced in 1940 by English engineer Sir Donald Bailey, was to provide a temporary bridge that could be built quickly and manually in wartime and that could support the load of heavy tanks and other machinery.