This barrage was the first to be built with the help of caissons with sluice gates: these were set down at the bottom of the channel then the sluice gates were closed all at the same time to prevent the formation of a destructive current. The barrage (1958-1961) is a closed dyke 2,700m long, and is the most exposed to storms as it faces the north-east, notwithstanding the protection of a sandbank. A small salt-water lake (non-tidal) stretches between this barrage and the Zandkreekdam.