In Machelen, the new 710-meter-long bicycle and pedestrian bridge, the longest in Flanders, has been in place since Thursday. The new bridge over Leopold III Avenue between Machelen and Zaventem not only ensures a safe crossing but also forms a hitherto missing link in the route of the future Ring Cycle Path and connects to the future cycling highway F201.
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) invested 11,7 million euros in the project. The entire structure is expected to be fully completed in April next year.
Safe crossing
The bridge linking Haren Street in Zaventem with Sint-Stevens-Woluwe Street in Machelen allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross the dangerous Leopold III Avenue safely. It avoids, for example, a one-kilometer diversion with dangerous crossing traffic.
Stairs along both sides of the bridges, equipped with bicycle gutters, connect to existing tram stops and the future stops of the Airport Tram. A colorful surface will separate the cycle path and footpath.
In the middle of the bridge, there will be a 4-meter-wide cycle path. Pedestrians on either side of the cycle path can walk on a 1,80-meter footpath. So, the bridge is almost 8 meters wide.
Missing link
The bridge – construction started at the end of last year – has a parabola shape and rests on architecturally designed V-shaped piers. Thus, the bridge is not classically suspended from a high support structure but remains relatively low in the field of vision. As a result, the bridge blends in better with its surroundings and is less disruptive.
The last two of the 17 bridge sections, each over 20 meters long, were implemented on Wednesday. In the coming months, the contractor will continue to work on the approach ramps, the road surface will be further finished, and the bridge will be connected to the existing cycle paths.
‘Added value’
The new bridge will also connect to the future cycle highway F201 and form the missing link in the future Ring Cycle Path route between the N21 (Haachtse Road) and the R22 (Woluwe Valley). It will thucreaterm an important link in the cycle network in and around Brussels.
“We want to build a lot of additional infrastructure in the Flemish periphery that will improve traffic livability,” Minister Peeters said. “This cycle bridge is an example of that. It is not obvious to build such an extremely long bridge, but it will be an enormous added value here. Cyclists are being given more and more opportunities to take an alternative to the car and can thus prepare for future large-scale works on the Ring.”
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