Bicycle bridge, crossing the A201, Machelen

With extended abutments, two landing slopes more than 100 meters in length and a bridge deck of 510 meters long, this is an impressive addition to the urban landscape. The design aims to merge seamlessly with the environment and to create a silhouette of maximum lightness and transparency.

 To that end the bridge is designed in steel and painted white, while it rests on V-shaped grey steel columns with rounded edges. In its even, gradual elevation and its dead straight course, the bridge lifts the cyclists across the busy traffic below in one long and flowing gesture. At its highest point above the motorway, where the cars and trams are passing underneath, the deck is 8 meters above street level. The deck of the bridge consists of one solid steel body with all the elements welded together, which means that joints are only necessary at the abutments, saving many hours of maintenance. Heat expansion will inevitably deform the steel structure. However, because the steel columns in the main central part of the bridge are also welded to the deck, these forces are absorbed. Near the abutments, where the columns are shorter and made out of concrete, sliding joints are put in place to absorb the forces of distortion.

The repetition of detail caused by the length and linearity of the bridge, creates a striking visual effect. The protruding ribs under the deck, which support the pedestrian walkways, have a fixed rhythm. They flow into the balusters, which consistently have a vertical orientation to correct the transitions between the landings and sloping parts of the deck. This results in a regular pattern that smoothly follows the ascending line of the deck. An infinity effect emerges and the appearance of the bridge becomes even lighter, floating above the traffic and pointing towards the horizon.