Posted on April 17, 2023
Yesterday, NEO-LEGIA, the consortium of Jan De Nul Group, CIT-BLATON and Willemen Groep, successfully installed the bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the ‘Darse de Meuse’. This bridge creates a soft and safe link with Park Astrid for the future residents of the new Rives Ardentes neighbourhood. Its location at the future tram stop ‘Astrid’ will also give the people of Liège easy access to walking areas along the Meuse. This urban renewal project focuses on ecology and liveability, with the bridge serving as a distinct pillar and landmark.
During special overnight transport earlier in March, the bridge was brought in two parts to the site, where the contractors assembled it. The bridge is 57 m long and weighs about 110 tonnes. Yesterday, two cranes from CSM Steelstructures moved the bridge to its final location.
The design of the bridge allows for a smooth passage of all pleasure craft. The bridge itself will be accessible to all soft road users: cyclists, pedestrians, scooters, and people with reduced mobility. Natural ramps connect the park with the bridge, whereas on the side of the tram stop a concrete ramp and stairs are provided.
The staircase will be installed soon and all necessary tests will be executed. The bridge and the renovated Park Astrid will be open to the public by the end of 2023.
Valérie Loriaux, Project Manager Rives Ardentes: “Once completed, the ‘Passerelle des Reflets’ will be an important link for soft mobility between the city centre of Liege, the neighbouring areas and her public spaces (parks, promenades, squares, etc.).”
The installation of the bridge continues the works at Park Astrid
The public-private partnership with the City of Liège and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) opted to integrate the footbridges in the eco-district Rives Ardentes for an upgrade in site-quality and a better access to the public space. The ‘Passerelle des Reflets’ across the Darse is an important part of the new public facilities on Rives Ardentes.
The bridge is funded for two million euros by the ERDF within the scope of its urban development budget. In and around the park, new walkways and green zones are constructed. A new connection to the Atlas bridge and the Quai de Wallonie is also part of the landscaping programme.
Rives Ardentes stands for ecology and liveability
Apart from the pedestrian bridge, other forms of sustainable mobility are also taken into account, such as a tram line, a ferry across the river and communal spaces on a site with eighty percent public spaces (green zones, squares, parks, and pedestrian paths). This way, NEO-LEGIA chooses resolutely for sustainability, ecology, and safety. Full completion of the Liège eco-district is expected in 2031. The first residents of Rives Ardentes, however, would move in early as the start of 2024 when the first phases of the project are completed.
