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.