The Netherlands fears heat could damage its bridges: Spain, a pioneer, sets an example

The intense heat waves sweeping across Europe are affecting more than public health and the environment. They are also placing growing stress on critical infrastructure. In the Netherlands, soaring temperatures have forced authorities to cool several movable bridges with water to prevent their steel structures from expanding to the point where they could malfunction or suffer significant damage.

The problem lies in the way construction materials respond to heat. Steel expands as temperatures rise, and when expansion joints and mechanical systems are not designed to accommodate those higher temperature ranges, bridges can become jammed, preventing them from opening or closing safely. In addition, the materials used to seal these joints, including rubber, resins, and synthetic compounds, soften after prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. This reduces their ability to absorb structural movement and can compromise the stability of the bridge.

An unusual challenge

In response, the Dutch infrastructure agency, Rijkswaterstaat, has deployed firefighting boats and temporary water-spraying systems to cool several bridges in the northern part of the country. The goal is to lower the temperature of the steel components and prevent thermal expansion from causing mechanical failures or forcing bridge closures.

High temperatures are also affecting asphalt on some roads and tram routes, where the pavement has begun to soften under the intense heat. This is an unusual situation for a country whose climate has historically been characterized by mild temperatures and where infrastructure was primarily designed to withstand cold weather and moisture rather than prolonged periods of extreme heat.

Spain was built for the heat

The situation stands in sharp contrast to Spain, where infrastructure has been designed for decades to withstand high temperatures throughout much of the year. Bridges, highways, and viaducts are built with larger expansion joints, more heat-resistant materials, and asphalt mixtures engineered to remain stable even during the hottest months. This long-term planning allows Spanish infrastructure to handle heat waves with a greater margin of safety, although it is not immune to the gradual wear caused by prolonged exposure to extreme heat.

Experts emphasize that the difference is not simply a matter of construction quality but of the environmental conditions each country’s infrastructure was designed to withstand. In Southern Europe, extreme heat has long been a standard engineering consideration. Across much of Northern Europe, however, such conditions were considered rare until relatively recently. As heat waves become more frequent and more intense, governments are being forced to rethink the design standards and maintenance practices that have shaped Europe’s infrastructure for decades.

One potential solution is to redesign certain steel components so they can better accommodate thermal expansion, reducing the need to cool bridges with water. While effective as a temporary measure, water cooling requires substantial resources and comes with significant operating costs.

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