Benelux Steel Bridge Contest 2023

On February 27, the beautiful Havenhuis in Antwerp was the setting for the presentation of the first Benelux Steel Bridge Contest. Infosteel and Bouwen met Staal organized this bridge contest together for the first time. Before the awards were presented, those present were given a presentation by Jan Goemaere of Port Antwerp/Bruges on the Port Authority's core tasks and the investments planned for the coming years.

Keynote speaker Professor Wim Hoeckman looked back on his impressive career in steel construction. He also gave his audience some wise life lessons (be 'grateful' instead of 'proud') and made a plea for the preservation of our know-how in the field of engineering and building steel structures in the Low Countries. 

New competition

With this new, biennial competition, Infosteel (B) and Bouwen met Staal (NL) want to value and highlight exemplary bridge projects. They also want to make clients, architects, structural engineers, steel fabricators and other project partners enthusiastic for (intelligent) steel and steel-concrete applications in infrastructure and specifically bridges, movable or non-movable. For this first edition, parties were invited to submit projects that were delivered or put into use in the Benelux between 2020 and July 2023. Projects outside the Benelux could be submitted provided at least one party was involved from one of the three countries.

Benelux Steel Bridge Contest Awards

In the road bridges category, the prize went to the Brigands Bridge in Ingelmunster over the Roeselare-Leie Canal. A long bridge was chosen that literally lifts the road "over the valley" through the use of a substructure, a support structure located under the bridge deck. The bridge is just under 300 m long and consists of a 1,400-ton steel main supporting structure with a concrete deck of two longitudinal sections separated by a translucent grid. The bridge, designed by Ney & Partners, charmed the jury in terms of detailing, finish and execution. The TV Artes-Depret/Victor Buyck Steel Construction/Stadsbader deserves praise for its ingeniously conceived assembly concept. 

In the pedestrian and bicycle bridges category, the Passerelle in Arquennes (Seneffe) won awards. The passerelle spans the Samme River and connects two sections of RAVeL line 141. It is a 54 m long weatherproof steel pedestrian bridge with two bays. The pedestrian bridge is placed on the former abutments and piers of a railroad bridge that was dismantled after World War II. The jury was particularly delighted by the special lightness and transparency of this filigree, bold design by Bureau Greisch, which was perfectly executed by Techno Metal Industrie.

Finally, the jury awarded a special prize to the Prince-Claus Bascule Bridge in Dordrecht. This feat of engineering was able to entice the jury because of its particularly successful interplay of architectural, structural, mechanical and environmental design. Architect René van Zuuk accepted the trophy, along with Iv-Infra, the Municipality of Dordrecht and the Dura Vermeer - Hillebrand construction consortium.