Antwerp and Flanders have given the green light to the pedestrian and cyclist bridge project which will connect the Right Bank and Left Bank of the Scheldt above the J.F. Kennedy Tunnel. 

Alea iacta est. The die has been cast. A Latin phrase attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar on January 10, 49 BC, as he led his army across the Rubicon river in Northern Italy.

The same can be said with this news. 

Unlike so many other cities, Antwerp doesn’t have a bridge. It has tunnels. The Kennedy Tunnel, the Waasland Tunnel and St. Anne’s Pedestrian Tunnel. 

Ship Ahoy!

The bridge will be a 130 meter long lift bridge. Big ships need to be able to go underneath so the bridge will be partially liftable. 

How and when?

What the bridge will look like and when it wil be finished, remains unclear. First estimates point to a cost price of 200 million euros. 

Landmark

Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever (N-VA) states while its purpose is to increase non-automotive mobility, the bridge will also be a huge landmark. 

Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis (N-VA) says the bridge will provide magnicifent vistas of the area and the metropolis.

History 

Why does Antwerp has no bridges at the moment? History. The Right Bank was part of the Margraviate of Antwerp, in turn part of the Duchy of Brabant, in turn part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. 

The Left Bank was part of the county of Flanders, in turn part of the Kingdom of France. 

Antwerp did have impromptu bridges, such as during the Siege of Antwerp in 1585 and in 1914.

Some photos in this blog post are of the 100th anniversary of the WW I pontoon bridge.