Highway Interchange
Check out our design for the refurbishment of an existing bridge, and the addition of a new bridge, including an on and off-ramp with alternative modes of transport on a highway through Limburg (Belgium). This design represents an elongated roundabout over the E313. Driving Northward would continue on the existing bridge while driving Southward would be on a newly constructed bridge. Because of the separation of traffic flows, the existing bridge would offer the remaining surface for a cycle path and eco corridor.
This proposal optimizes safety (no conflicts between cars and cyclists), simplifies phasing (old bridge in use while new bridge under construction), and uses sustainability (eco-corridor) to
address the separation of the natural environment due to the 35-45m wide highway, which creates a non-penetrable boundary covering an ongoing ecosystem in half. Ecoducts or eco bridges also establish a recreational route (Limburg cycling province).
The new bridge is a rigid tube construction. This tube is transparent because it consists of unwound rolls of steel (20x2cm) that are placed on top of each other in a "diagrid" pattern.
The stability analysis shows that this woven steel construction is stiff and large enough to withstand a span of 100m without the need for columns, in conjunction with the bridge deck. The advantage of tube construction is that a large structural height is achieved, which easily absorbs heavy moments. This design was a finalist in the Limburg competition.
Location
Limburg, Belgium
Year
2010
Area
2km
Program
Public Space, Infrastructure, Landscape
Collaborators
Vectris, UTIL
Mission ORG
Architecture, Urbanism, Competition
Team
Alexander D’Hooghe, Natalie Seys, Luk Peeters, John Pugh, Nida Rehman
Clients
Dept. of Transportation of Flanders