Editing Afsluitdijk (section)

=== Post-war modernization ===
Following the 1953 storm, a subsequent storm in 1954 caused significant damage to the Afsluitdijk. Although the 1953 water level was not as extreme at the Afsluitdijk as in the southern Netherlands, the intense wave action resulted in severe damage to a large portion of the block stone, which was later replaced by basalt. In response to recommendations from the {{lang|nl|Deltacommissie}}, the commission responsible for the [[Delta Works]], it was deemed necessary to elevate the dike level. However, this was considered less urgent compared to the issues in Zeeland after the 1953 storm. A decision was made to prioritize the Delta Works while also incrementally increasing the Afsluitdijk height to 7.4 metres.<ref name= "thijsse" /><ref name= "stuvel" />

[[File:Afsluitdijk cross-section profile prior to the upgrade works commenced in 2019.png|thumb|A cross section profile of the Afsluitdijk prior to the upgrade works commenced in 2019]]

On 23 September 1954, on the centenary of Cornelis Lely, a statue, made by [[Mari Andriessen]], was unveiled by Queen Juliana on the North Holland side of the Afsluitdijk. On May 9, 2007, the statue was relocated near to the Vlieter Monument. The official unveiling, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the dyke, was performed on 24 May 2007 by Prince Willem-Alexander. 
[[File:Afsluitdijk - The Tower.jpg|thumb|Observation tower as seen from pedestrian bridge]]

In 2012, the [[State Secretary (Netherlands)|State Secretary]] for [[Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (Netherlands)|Infrastructure and the Environment]], [[Joop Atsma]], issued a statement detailing the factors influencing the decision to replace the locks at Kornwerderzand. A [[naviduct]] would have a high construction cost compared with standard locks and bridges, but would benefit the economy by reducing delays. After the [[cost–benefit analysis]] of all potential solutions was considered, a decision was made to strengthen the existing locks. However, it is quite possible that a naviduct will be built to replace the locks when they reach the end of their useful life in 2050.<ref>{{cite web |last=Atsma |first=Joop |title=Toezegging naviduct Afsluitdijk |url=http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/bestanden/documenten-en-publicaties/kamerstukken/2012/07/03/toezegging-naviduct-afsluitdijk/lp-i-m-0000002316.pdf |publisher=Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu |access-date=2 August 2013 |language=nl |date=3 July 2012}}</ref> The work started in April 2020 and was planned to take three years; during the work, the highway remained in operation, however the bicycle path was closed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=de Boer |first1=Amarins |title=De Afsluitdijk drie jaar dicht is doodzonde |url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/in-het-nieuws/2019/04/de-afsluitdijk-drie-jaar-dicht-is-doodzonde/ |work=Metro |date=1 April 2019 |language=nl}}</ref>
[[File:Afsluitdijk-West.jpg|thumb|The new (2022) profile (Den Oever - Kornwerderzand)]]
[[File:Afsluitdijk-Oost.jpg|thumb|The new (2022) profile (Kornwerderzand - Friese Kust)]]
[[Rijkswaterstaat]] (the ministry which oversees the dyke) further increased the height of the dyke beginning in 2018. As part of the renovation program, a series of artistic projects were incorporated into the dyke, known as the "Icoon Afsluitdijk."  [[Daan Roosegaarde]] led the artistic aspects. The three designs of light and interaction developed by Roosegaarde and his team are entitled Gates of Light, Windvogel and Glowing Nature.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-29 |title=Icoon Afsluitdijk {{!}} De Afsluitdijk |url=https://www.deafsluitdijk.nl/projecten/icoon-afsluitdijk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929142437/https://www.deafsluitdijk.nl/projecten/icoon-afsluitdijk/ |archive-date=29 September 2017 |access-date=2021-07-11 |language=Dutch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Waterstaat |first=Ministerie van Infrastructuur en |date=2016-09-05 |title=Icoon Afsluitdijk designs unveiled - News item - Government.nl |url=https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2016/09/05/icoon-afsluitdijk-designs-unveiled |access-date=2021-07-27 |website=government.nl |language=en-GB}}</ref> The improvement of the main dike body was completed in 2022. Additional works (the fish migration river,<ref>{{cite web|title=fish migration river|url=https://theafsluitdijk.com/projects/fishmigrationriver/|access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> new locks and the pumping station) were at that moment not yet ready.{{Update inline|date=August 2024}}

Provision for a [[railway]] line linking North Holland and Friesland (between [[Anna Paulowna]] and [[Harlingen, Friesland|Harlingen]]) had been included on the Afsluitdijk, in the form of a [[Right-of-way (transportation)|linear reservation]], along with extra drawbridge abutments at the locks. However, construction of the line was never undertaken by the Dutch track operator ([[ProRail]]), for reasons of cost and relative lack of benefits. The reservation and abutments for the rail line were utilized instead for a second carriageway for the dyke's two-lane highway in the 1970s, transforming the latter into today's four-lane A7 motorway.