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Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder worth $185 billion, may have gotten Rotterdam to agree to take apart a historic bridge in order for his mega-yacht to squeak by after its massive masts are put into place.
The De Hef Bridge is considered a rare historic monument in a city that was ravaged during WWII and reports of the agreement have sparked debate in the city.
“It has been restored a few years ago and the promise was made not to touch it, so it is not understandable that now, just because a ship wants to pass, we have to dismantle it,” Ton Wesselink, the president of the Rotterdam Historical Society, said.
After early reports, the city appeared to walk back its position and the city said a final decision has not been made. The city said it received a request from the shipbuilder to temporarily lift the middle part of the 95-year-old structure.
The New York Times, citing a city spokeswoman, reported that it is unclear how much it would cost to take the bridge apart.
The paper said the 417-foot sailboat is set to become the world’s largest sailing yacht and will likely cost Bezos more than $500 million. The paper also pointed out that the bridge is not currently in use.
Dennis Tak, a Labor Party city councilor, told the paper that the construction would create jobs for the city and could be a “great way to take some of his money.”
TRENDPOST: We note this article to continue to illustrate how the billionaire class keeps getting bigger, and the bigger they get the more control they have.
Indeed, Siebe Thissen, the author of the book “The Boy Who Jumped From the Bridge,” told the paper that the bridge is a reminder of the “old days” in the city. “People say, ‘Why this guy?’ It’s a working-class town, and they all know that Jeff Bezos, of course, he exploits his workers, so people say, ‘Why should this guy be able to demolish the bridge for his boat?’”