Gemert | North Om | Lieve Vrouwesteeg

Longest sandwiched composite bridge: 37 meters

Commissioned by the province of North Brabant, FiberCore has built a bicycle bridge that is part of the Gemert Noord-Om project being carried out by BAM Infra. From the end of 2017, the Noord-Om will form the link between the N605 and the N272 running southeast of Gemert. Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand here. In addition to a special 3D printed bicycle bridge and a retracted traffic circle, the new ring road will feature the longest clamped composite bridge to date under the name Lieve Vrouwesteeg: 37 meters of free span in one piece and a minimal construction height. The bridge, including railings and wearing course, was 'prefabricated' at FiberCore.

The longest prefabricated composite bridges in the world were installed in 2019 in Bruges, Belgium; these two bicycle/foot bridges have a length of 42 meters.

"The installation went extremely smoothly," says Rob Leenders, project manager of BAM Infra. "Because the bridge weighs only 26 tons, we were able to install it at lightning speed, in half a day, with no inconvenience to local residents." BAM Infra finds that provinces are increasingly asking for both innovative and sustainable solutions when building new infrastructure. "The application of new materials or new techniques is appreciated and we are happy to play a role in that," says Leenders.