The Seedamm's predecessor was a
historical wooden bridge that was first completed in 1360 and rebuilt several times. For centuries, this connection had been part of the so-called
Jakobsweg, an old pilgrimage route. In 1873 the Swiss federal parliament approved the construction of the today's stone causeway and bridge. Construction works began in 1875 and finished in 1878 (in the same year the existing wooden bridge was removed). The construction cost the sum of 1,462,000 Swiss Francs, of which 1,100,000 had been paid by the city of Rapperswil. In 1878 the
Zürichsee-Gotthardbahn established the railway line from
Rapperswil railway station via Seedamm. In 1939 and 1951 the now called
Seedamm causeway was reinforced to meet growing demand. Whilst the bridge sections of the Seedamm allow smaller vessels to pass under them, the main shipping channel between the lower and upper halves of Lake Zurich now passes through the
Hurden ship canal, which was cut through the base of the Hurden peninsular in 1942/43, thus placing the village of Hurden on an artificial island. This canal is spanned by the
Sternenbrücke, which also carries both road and railway. This causeway was renovated between March and November 2010 to allow
40 tonne trucks to cross the Seedamm. At the beginning of the 21st-century, about 75 passenger trains and 24,000 vehicles crossed the causeway and the town of Rapperswil-Jona every day, and as of 2016, an average of 26,000 vehicles. In order to relieve the traffic on road and rail during rush hours, Rapperswil-Jona is expected to participate as the first Swiss city in a pilot project for so-called
Mobility pricing. == Literature ==