New cycle bridge for the airport region inaugurated
Cycle bridge over Haachtsesteenweg connects Vilvoorde and Brussels Airport cargo zone
The Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters, and Brussels Airport Company CEO, Arnaud Feist, inaugurated the new cycle bridge over the Haachtsesteenweg in Melsbroek (Steenokkerzeel) on 27 April. This bridge improves the connection between the centre of Vilvoorde and Brucargo, the logistics zone of Brussels Airport. Employees living north of Brussels can now bike to the airport safely and much more comfortably than before.
The new cycle bridge over the Haachtsesteenweg in Steenokkerzeel was officially inaugurated today. This forty-metre-long bridge with its eye-catching red design now connects the centre of Vilvoorde and Brucargo, making cycling an even more interesting alternative for employees working at the airport cargo area, and constitutes an important link for cycling accessibility around Brussels Airport.
Lydia Peeters, Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works: “With this new cycle bridge in Steenokkerzeel, which is part of the F214 Vilvoorde - Brucargo cycle highway, we are further enhancing the cycle network around the airport. The forty-metre-long bridge provides a safe connection between the airport’s cargo area and the other cycle routes north of the airport. It’s a big win for bike commuters in the vicinity and Brussels Airport employees. So, this new bridge fits in perfectly with our ambition to get more people cycling to work.”
Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company CEO. “This new cycle bridge provides, a smooth and safe connection for bike commuters who work in the Brussels Airport cargo zone. After having built a branch that connects the F3 Brussels-Leuven cycle highway to the Brussels Airport passenger terminal, our cargo zone is now connected to the F214 cycle highway and adjacent cycle paths. Today, around 4% of employees working at Brussels Airport commute to work by bicycle. By further improving infrastructure and signage, as well as developing campaigns to encourage bicycle use, we aim to make commuting by bike a fully-fledged alternative to commuting by car.”
A few interesting details:
- The bridge over Haachtsesteenweg is 40 metres long and weighs 76 tonnes. on the night of 17 to 18 May 2022, the steel structure of the bridge was lifted onto the abutments by crane,
- to complete the F214 cycle highway, one kilometre of new cycle paths were built on either side of the cycle bridge,
- where the two cycle highways F214 Vilvoorde Brucargo and FR 20 Luchthavenring Brucargo-Brussels Airport intersect, a tubular bridge was built so that all cyclists can pass smoothly.
Cycling over the Haachtsesteenweg
The bridge’s owner, the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Flemish Government) was able to use land belonging to Brussels Airport for the construction of the new cycle bridge. Those grounds were needed to construct the embankments - the raised slopes on which the bridge rests. In fact, the bridge is quite high above the Haachtsesteenweg, as sufficient clearance was needed for large trucks to pass under the bridge.
European subsidy
In addition to making its land available, Brussels Airport also invested 200,000 euros in the project. The European Union contributed €700,000 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The remainder of the investment of around €900,000 came from the Flemish government.
