A bridge as boulevard
Starting point for the design of the new Theunis bridge is to provide a spacious connection for trams, pedestrians and cars that offers the feeling of a boulevard. With its dark pylons and bright white towers with open structures the Theunis bridge is a stark visual experience in an environment that appears hard and industrial. All emphasis in the design is on the flowing movement of traffic and the improvement of the quality of the experience of crossing the canal. The bridge bends and crosses the water with a gentle curve, with the bicycle paths at the outer lanes of the bridge offering quite a view of the water and the city. The pylons are as open as possible, hardly hindering that view. Actually the Theunis bridge consists of three separate bridges that allow daylight to play in the space between them, giving the traffic crossing the bridge a link to the water; at the banks on both sides of the canal light can also enter the passageway under the bridge. A boulevard is not just a road but also a passage along interesting and pleasant places, and the design by ZJA of the Theunisbridge was made with that in mind.