Bicycle highway between Antwerp-Lier - Deurne

Description 

The longest composite bridge in the country was installed on the border between Boechout and Mortsel. It is the first bicycle bridge made from fibre-glass-reinforced plastic, and it has the largest free span of its kind in Belgium. This is a first on the F11 Antwerp-Lier bicycle highway. The bridge was put in place in one piece (5 m wide and 30 m long), and it only weighs 33 tonnes. Hoisting was carried out using a 400-tonne mobile crane with a span lift.

Composite material has many advantages: it is light, sturdy and not susceptible to corrosion. The bridges have a lifespan of more than a hundred years while also being flexible and quick to install. The bridge was made at Composite Structures in the Netherlands, commissioned by Janson Bridging. The entire process to make the bicycle bridge took only two months to complete. The bridge was transported to its location in one piece during the night of 1 to 2 May. The bridge, weighing approximately 30 tonnes, was hoisted over the railway line using a crane.

The bridge is part of the F11 Antwerp-Lier bicycle highway, and it creates an easier, but more importantly, safer, route for cyclists. Working for the province of Antwerp, Willemen Infra and Franki Construct joined forces on the bicycle highway from the airport in Deurne to Boechout, a stretch of 3.7 km.

 

Willemen Infra is a leading, Belgian road construction company with a regional presence in both Flanders and Wallonia. An important asset is that we have all aspects of the construction process under our own management and thus fully control the execution. Moreover, our team of 1,000 well-trained and experienced employees are willing to work at night and over the weekend to make sure they get everything done in time. In addition, thanks to our own COPRO-certified production and recycling sites, we are one of the leading producers for asphalt and road concrete.

Since 1998 Franki Construct has been part of Willemen Groep, the largest family construction group in Belgium.

 
location 

Project Details

Gasthuishoeven, Mortsel, Antwerpen, Belgium
Client 
Provincie Antwerpen
Engineering Office 
Arcadis
Span 
30m
Construction period
1 year 2 months
Start work
09-2018
End of work
11-2019