The board of directors of De Vlaamse Waterweg nv and the Council of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Antwerp approved the selection guidelines for the tender for the bicycle and walking bridge over the Scheldt River in Antwerp. 

This decision marks the official start of the tender procedure, in which high-quality construction teams are being sought through a European tender for the design, construction and maintenance of the bridge.

The tender not only includes the Scheldt Bridge itself, but together with the necessary stabilization of the quay wall and the raising of the flood defense, the quay area will be transformed into a special public place: a new park and square space and a multifunctional building will be created from the immediate vicinity of making the bridge a permanently lively place. In addition, the construction of an emergency waiting area and other nautical safety measures are part of the project.

The Flanders Region of Belgium has made cycling a real top policy priority. This is also evident from the new ‘Cycling Ambition for Flanders‘. This legislature, Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Ope Vld) allocated no less than 1.4 billion euros for safe and comfortable cycle paths.

“The Scheldt Bridge is a crucial project in the context of the Future Covenant. It will not only enormously improve mobility for active road users, including our cyclists and pedestrians, but also contribute to a sustainable modal shift in the Antwerp and Waasland regions. Investments like these are desperately needed when we see that Flemish people are cycling more and more and that the electric bicycle is on the rise. We see that 18% of our journeys are already made by bicycle. We aim to be able to cross the Scheldt via this new bridge in 2029, which will significantly shorten the travel time for many cyclists”, Lydia Peeters says.

Koen Kennis (N-VA), Alderman for Mobility for the City of Antwerp, adds: “Antwerp and the Antwerp region need more Scheldt-crossing capacity. The bridge is an important piece of the puzzle for our modal shift and, together with the new Scheldt tunnel north of the center, will complete the bicycle ring around the city. The Scheldt Bridge and the redesigned public space around the bridge will also become a lever for many developments in the field of local economy, recreation, catering, events, sports and games and even tourism. And she will add a new beacon to the Antwerp roadstead.”

“Through this ‘Design-Build-Maintain’ contract, we opt for an integrated approach. In this way, the knowledge of designers and contractors is combined to achieve an innovative and cost-efficient design. By also integrating the 25-year maintenance of the bridge into the tender, They are also encouraged to take subsequent maintenance into account during design and construction. In this way, we can create a maintenance-friendly and reliable bridge for cyclists and shipping, and we keep our rivers and canals always accessible”, Koen Anciaux, chairman of the board of directors of De Vlaamse Waterweg nv, says.

Selection phase

In the first phase, the selection phase, a European tender for construction teams will be published. These teams, consisting of bridge and landscape designers, contractors, environmental experts and other experts, are invited to submit their applications no later than 12 March 2024 at 1 PM.

After receiving the nominations, De Vlaamse Waterweg nv and the City of Antwerp will jointly select the four best construction teams. In the summer of 2024, these teams will receive the award guidelines, the technical specifications that the bridge designs must meet. In several rounds, the selected construction teams will submit and improve their designs and quotations, after which the effective bridge design that will then be built will be chosen.

The Scheldt Bridge is the very first quality of life project of the Future Alliance to be put out to tender. 

The City of Antwerp and De Vlaamse Waterweg nv are joining forces for this joint tender, with De Vlaamse Waterweg nv acting as the contracting authority. The final contractor will be selected in 2025 and if everything goes well, construction work will start in 2026. The goal is that we can cycle across the Scheldt for the first time in 2029.

More on the Scheldt Bridge.

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