Platform on concrete and steel in construction
On Wednesday, February 11, Bouwen met Staal and InfoSteel organized the presentation of the BeNeLux Steel Bridge Contest 2025 at the LEF Future Center at Rijkswaterstaat in Utrecht. The professional jury, chaired by Gerhard Nijenhuis (ipv Delft), selected the two winners and a creativity prize from a total of 49 entries and ten nominations.
Winner Category Road and Rail Bridges: OA265: The bridge over the tracks at Bettembourg-Gare (LU) OA 265 or Emile Hammerel Bridge in Bettembourg-Gare (LU) won the award in the category Traffic Bridges. Within this category, thirteen projects participated. The jury awarded a nomination to five of these thirteen entries. From the nominations, OA 265 was chosen as the category winner.
The Émile Hammerel Bridge spans the seven tracks of Bettembourg station in southern Luxembourg and allows the passage of the N13. The original structure, a curved bridge section of prestressed concrete with a length of 148 meters, rested on two abutments and five piers, three of which were placed directly in the station area. After comparative studies, reconstruction was chosen. Because the minimum required span was more than 75 meters, an arch construction was chosen whose bridge deck was to connect to the road at a 52-meter bend, creating a unique feature. The orthotropic design entirely in steel was a result of the overall optimization of lead time.
The jury justified its decision: “The limited space around Bettembourg station and the desire to use fewer supports led to this particular design. The demolition of the concrete road surface and installation of the steel arch required only four weeks of track closure. The combination of one supporting arch with the curved traffic deck is particularly successful. In this way, a substantial span was realized and the bridge was made to fit into its surroundings. The relatively small bend radius of the bridge makes it possible to implement the bridge with a single supporting arch. The jury greatly appreciates this creative solution.”
Location: Bettembourg-Gare, Bettembourg (LU). Project partners: client: Administration des Ponts et Chaussées, Luxembourg (LU), designer/architect: Lux Ouvrage d'Art, Niederkorn (LU), study office (stability): Lux Ouvrage d'Art, Niederkorn (LU), control office: SGI Luxembourg, Luxembourg (LU)/SECO, Diegem (BE), general contractor: Tralux, Leudelange (LU), steel builder: MBB (Metallic Bridges of Belgium), Ocquier (BE).
The nominees in this category were:
- ‘Gull Wing’ bridge, Lowestoft (UK);
- Renovation of Haringvliet Bridge, Numansdorp (NL);
- Renfrew Bridge over the Clyde, Renfrewshire (UK);
- Road bridge over the Albert Canal, Wijnegem (BE).
Winner Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridges Category:
Passerelle on railroad viaduct in Albi (FR)
The Albi bicycle and pedestrian bridge in the French city of the same name triumphed in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridges category. This participation category attracted 36 entries, of which five projects received nominations from the jury.
Albi, a city rich in history, obtained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2010 for its historic center. In this context, the idea was born to create a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that would act as a cantilever of a 19th-century railroad viaduct. The viaduct, which is still in use, is an all-brick structure of remarkable coherence. The passerelle, made entirely of steel, is attached to it and subtly interacts with the existing structure.
The jury justified its decision: “A pedestrian bridge placed along a historic railroad viaduct is a complex task. An entirely straightforward design would have resulted in a somewhat dull image. Ney & Partners and MS-A won the competition in 2011 with a design characterized by balconies under the arches. The long period between competition and realization suggests that the process of coming to fruition was not easy. The relatively modest integration of the new deck with the historic bridge is beautiful. The idea of situating the balconies towards the arches is also, in the opinion of the jury, a finding. This creates a new whole that surprises without being excessive.”
Location: Place du Château 2, Albi (FR). Project partners: client: Communauté d'agglomération de l'Albigeois, Albi (FR), designer/architect: Ney & Partners, Brussels-Bruxelles (BE), design office (stability): Ney & Partners, Brussels-Bruxelles (BE), control office: Apave, Montauban (FR), general contractor: GTM S-O TP GC, Toulouse (FR), steel builder: MAEG, Bordeaux (FR).
The nominees in this category were:
- Passerelle Fil de Fer, Verviers (BE) - Creativity Award;
- Solitudo Bridge, Amsterdam (NL);
- Bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the A7, Bourg-lès-Valence (FR);
- Passerelle des Arts, Luxembourg (LU).
Winner Creativity Award:
Passerelle Fil de Fer, Verviers (BE)
In the Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridges category, the judges also handed out a creativity award to the Passerelle Fil de Fer.
The Fil de Fer pedestrian bridge in Verviers (BE), swept away by floods in July 2021, brings a gas distribution network across the Vesdre River. This project uses an infrastructure whose primary function is technical (supporting networks) to design a bridge for functional use by the public. The structure, made of weather-resistant steel and weighing only 3.8 tons, consists of an open U-shaped section with triangular openings housing the gas pipeline. The fully workshop prefabricated walkway was installed with the gas line, wooden floor and railings already assembled.
The jury justified its decision: “The penultimate bridge at this location was swept away by the 2021 flood. The older foundations were reused and given an airy, efficient steel structure. The creative simplicity of this bridge struck the jury. The function of pipe bridge and footbridge is elegantly combined. The openwork girder shows the dual function. A fine example of ‘Less is more’!”
With the BeNeLux Steel Bridge Contest, Infosteel (BE/LU) and Bouwen met Staal (NL) want to appreciate inspiring bridge projects every two years and enthuse clients, architects, engineering firms, steel builders and other project partners for (intelligent) applications of steel and steel-concrete in bridges, both fixed and movable and both newly built and renovated.
