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As a result of the widening of Kempenbaan West and the new connection to the A67 in Veldhoven, pedestrian and bicycle traffic has been separated from other traffic. Slow traffic now crosses the A67 over bicycle viaduct De Locht. An imposing work of art of almost 100 meters in length, which meets the toughest requirements and was prepared prefabricated entirely in the workshop of family business Bersselaar Constructie.
The new viaduct is parallel to the existing viaduct over the A67. "The first design consisted of a similar truss bridge, but with an intermediate support point in the middle and a plastic deck," says project manager John Verhoeven of Bersselaar Constructie. "We were commissioned by Combinatie Van Gelder Mobilis Kempenbaan West and the Municipality of Veldhoven to look at a variant without a middle support point between the carriageways during the tender phase. In good consultation with Rijkswaterstaat, Gemeente Veldhoven and Mobilis, we provided a completely revised DO with a steel deck and without a center support point."
Bicycle viaduct De Locht has a span of nearly 100 meters, but rests on two steel columns positioned just outside the lanes of the A67. Verhoeven: "That gives a free span of 53 meters. There is also provision for an abutment on either side, which are positioned some 20 meters away. The bridge itself is in fact a truss beam consisting of a lower edge of tubes 400×400 with a wall thickness of 16mm and a top edge of a tube round 355.6 with a wall thickness of 11mm. The diagonals at an angle of 45 degrees are made in diameters of 244.5mm in different thicknesses. The roof also consists of a truss with tubes also around 244.5mm. Finally, the driving deck is made of a steel deck plate with steel troughs welded underneath. The bridge was produced entirely in our workshop in accordance with NEN-EN 1090 Execution Class 4. In addition, the Directive Design Art Works (R.O.K.) version 1.4 from the Department of Public Works was applicable to this bridge. The bridge therefore falls into the highest category."
Bersselaar Constructie took on the steel structure of the De Locht bicycle viaduct on a full turnkey basis. "In addition to the design and production, we also provided the preservation and assembly, including the application of the wearing course, joint transitions and overlays," says Verhoeven. "Despite the technical modifications, the design principles were not compromised. The appearance was never changed. The bridge is equipped with a railing by means of a 1,100 mm high bar fence with an anti-throwing screen of stainless steel mesh behind it over the full height of the bridge. Finally, LED lighting has been built into the upper edge in several places. The bridge lies parallel to the existing viaduct, approximately at a 45-degree angle across the A67."
The biggest challenge, according to Verhoeven, was in the assembly. "We divided the bridge into three pieces in the workshop and disconnected the upper connections (bolted connections) to be able to transport the bridge upside down. First to Moerdijk for preservation and then to the pre-construction site 800 meters from its final location. Here the three sections were welded together and conserved at the welds. Then the railings and roof bracing were installed and the wearing course applied. Then the bridge with a total weight of 162 tons was picked up and driven onto the existing adjacent viaduct with SPMTs. Using two 700-ton cranes, the bridge was lifted into place overnight. An exciting, but successful operation."
