Oesterdam
| Oesterdam | |
|---|---|
| The Oesterdam | |
| Coordinates | 51°28′43.4″N 4°13′11.6″E / 51.478722°N 4.219889°E | 
| Carries | N659 road | 
| Crosses | Eastern Scheldt Estuary | 
| Owner | Rijkswaterstaat | 
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) | 
| History | |
| Engineering design by | Deltadienst | 
| Constructed by | Several contractors, including: Zanen Verstoep, Baggermaatschappij Holland bv, and Volker Stevin Baggeren | 
| Construction start | 1979 | 
| Construction end | 1986 | 
| Opened | 1989 (fully open with N569 road constructed over the dam) | 
| Location | |
The Oesterdam (English: Oyster Dam) is a compartmentalisation dam in The Netherlands, situated between Tholen and South Beveland in the eastern part of the Eastern Scheldt. The dam, with a length of 10.5 kilometres, is the longest structure built for the Delta Works. The Oesterdam was necessitated, like the Philipsdam, after the decision was taken to close off the Eastern Scheldt with a storm surge barrier, rather than a solid dam.
For navigation of recreational boats and fishing vessels between the Scheldt–Rhine Canal and the Eastern Scheldt, the dam contains a small lock near its northern end, the Bergse Diepsluis. Located adjacent to the dam near its southern end are a pair of large locks, the Kreekraksluizen, constructed to separate the canal's brackish water to the south from the freshwater to the north.