[English version below]

Wát sêge jou? “Oprúmd staat netsys”? [Met un lach] Ja, su kin je ut natuerluk ok bekike! Maar ut blyft evensugoëd wel sonde fan su’n mooie ouwe brug.

Hij staat hyr al fanôf 1778 hè. Dat is al un hele tiid… Dat ja, ut was fan ‘e môrn wel even skrikken toen ik dy pilaar su naast de brug in ut water lêgen sag. Der is fannacht een met un flinke rotsmak teugenop knalt. …Of ik der wat fan in ‘e gaten had hè?

Nou ja,… ik hè fannacht wel wat hoard, su rôn un uer of een. Maar hè der ferder geen andacht an skonken. Dy brug maakt altiten su’n lawaai  fan bonkedebonk bonkbonk as der un frachtwagen overheen riid. Maar as ik dit hyr nou su siën … dan fraag je je tòch ôf hoe’t suks kin. Want ut is wel un keunsstukje om met un frachtwagen su’n pilaar in ut water te krijen en self op ut droge te bliven en geen sentsy pine te hewwen. Hmmm? “De earste kear?” Nee…!

Begin dit jaar hadden we hyr ok al un ongeluk. Dy frachtwagen skeurde de hele bovenbouw fan de brug der ôf. En op ut foetgangerspad binne twee kynders gewond raakt. Dêrom is ut miskyn ok maar beter su, dat se dese ‘sta in de weg’ hyr nou us furthale. Su’n smalle ouwe brug is nyt mear fan dese tiid. Gewoan un mooie brede, faste brug. En dan sette se dy ouwe poart maar ergens op ut bolwerk of su… Kin ik mooi wat earder met pensjoen! Dat lykt my wel wat!

Bridge warden Willem Draaier interviewed on radio about collision damage to the bridge (9-9-1966) –
The Franeker obstruction

Excuse me? Good riddance? (laughing) Yes, that’s a way to see it, of course! (more serious) Nonetheless it’s kind of a pity, for such a nice old bridge.
It’s been around from 1778, you know? That’s quite a while… It was a big surprise this morning, when I saw that pillar lying in the water there! Somebody did run into it with a big bang this night.

… If have heard or seen anything? Yes.. I did hear some sounds this night, around one a.m…. But I didn’t think anything of it. This bridge is always noisy if there’s a truck passing by… Like boom bang boom! But when I see this scene here now… One asks oneself… It’s a work of art! To drive such a pillar into the water with a truck and then to stay high and dry ashore oneself and leave the scene. Hmm? (repeats the question) “First time?” No…

At the beginning of this year we had an accident too! That car got the complete upper structure of the bridge over his trailer. And two children on the pedestrian section got hurt. Maybe it’s for the best, that they finally removed this impedimental construction. An old, narrow bridge like this, it’s obsolete by now.

Let them build a nice, wide, fixed bridge. Perhaps the old gate can be moved to the bastion. Time for me to get an early pension. Sounds good to me!