Kanaaldijk Bicycle Bridge
The village of Dongen had only two connections over the Wilhelminakanaal, dug in 1915-1923 as a branch of the Zuidwillemsvaart. Both were at the edge of the built-up area. There was an urgent need to provide a better link to the other side of the water, especially for high school pupils that use the bike path along the canal to get to the town of Tilburg.
The proposed design, two steel arches that lean towards each other, is slender and transparent to respect the surrounding open landscape. The construction is separated into clearly visible parts. The curved deck of the bridge rests on joists the ends of which are suspended from the arches. The bend in the road, together with the curved surface and the arches above, form a clear point of orientation on the way between home and school.
Where bridge and approaching ramps meet, semi-circular balconies provide a view. Their shape resembles the bow of an ocean liner.
Function | Infrastructure |
Status | Project |
Client |
Gemeente Dongen |
Location |
Wilhelminakanaal / Wilhelminastraat, Dongen |
Project architect |
Hans van Heeswijk |
Project team |
Bart Commandeur, Hans van Heeswijk, Arjan van Ruyven |
Start |
1999 |
Span |
65 m |