Bridge as gateway to Park City

In Schinveld, Limburg, municipality of Beekdaelen, the new bicycle bridge over the N274 will be opened on February 20. Ipv Delft designed the bridge in close collaboration with artist Marijke de Goey, who drew for the three art objects on the bridge. Together, bridge and art objects mark the entrance to plus region Parkstad.

The new bridge is part of the reconstruction of the N274 in former Onderbanken. The bridge will provide a safe crossing for cyclists near the traffic circle at Kneijkuilerweg.

Route study
An extensive variant study preceded the design of the bridge. Together with a working group, Ipv Delft looked for the most suitable route on the basis of aspects such as integration into the landscape, cyclist comfort and construction costs. Less than half of the 350 meters long route consists of a bike path on ground-level bodies. The bridge is 188 metres long and lies in the middle of the route.

To make both bridge and supports as slender as possible, the entire structure was made of prestressed, cast-in-place concrete. The bridge is thereby divided into several large spans of 28 meters. Not only does this make the image clear and continuous, the space under the bridge can also be arranged freely. The large spans also ensure that the unobstructed view of the characteristic surrounding landscape is preserved.

Maintenance
By using in situ concrete, the bridge forms one long, continuous whole without joint transitions. The baluster-free railings also contribute to this: the fencing is identical over the entire bridge and without dominant uprights. From a management and maintenance point of view, the fence is made of stainless steel, which requires hardly any maintenance and remains beautiful for a very long time. For reasons of aesthetics, budget and feasibility, the entire bridge structure is keim painted. The applied layer of mineral paint provides a uniform coloration of the concrete.

Artwork
The trio of art objects is integrated into the bridge design and visualizes the gateway function of the bridge. The largest art object, consisting of several stacked cubes, stands at the heart of the traffic circle, at the bridge's fulcrum. Thanks to the close cooperation, The Lotus Flower, as the artwork is called, is actually integrated into the bridge construction. As a result, the fixing of the cubes is out of sight.

The entire reconstruction of the N274 near Onderbanken was realized by BAM Infra on behalf of the Province of Limburg. IBA Parkstad and the municipality of Beekdaelen (formerly Onderbanken) were closely involved in the project. The new bicycle bridge is the image defining feature of the renovated provincial road.