Gentspoort | A herculean project that will sustainably change Ghent
Ghent is preparing for ‘the construction site of the century.’ On March 16, the Gentspoort project team demonstrated how the project, in addition to laying 10 km of new tram tracks, is creating space for pedestrians, cyclists, and a qualitative development of the public space. On Friday, 75 professional stakeholders gathered at the Probeurs. On Saturday, the Gentspoort fair took place, with 650 visitors attending the information fair and 130 residents joining one of the 12 workshops.
On behalf of De Werkvennootschap, Sweco is responsible for the study and design of an additional 10 km of tram tracks, tunnels under Dampoort and Heuvelpoort, and a new layout for numerous streets and squares.
Tramification, renewal, connection
The ambition charter outlines all the aspirations of the project. Everything revolves around the three words from Gentspoort’s baseline: tramification, renewal, connection. The project is focused on smart and efficient public transport by constructing an additional ten kilometers of tram tracks.
The new tram line 7 will connect Sint-Denijs-Westrem with the Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort stations. The current tram line 4 will be extended to Gent-Dampoort. In addition, various streets and squares will be renovated, including the Museumplein, Sint-Annaplein, and Stapelplein. Finally, two tunnels will be constructed on the city ring road, one under Dampoort and another under Heuvelpoort.
Concept designs presented
Over the past few months, the Gentspoort project has increasingly taken shape behind the scenes. The project team developed the first concept designs for each of the six zones within the project area. This effort resulted in no less than 22 meters of floor plans that were displayed to the citizens and users of Ghent over the past two days.
The project team did this in two ways. An information fair was developed that could be freely visited. During the information fair, visitors were able to view the plans, read information on info posters, and ask questions to the project team. Additionally, workshops were organized for each zone, where companies, interest groups, residents, and users engaged in dialogue about the plans with the project staff.
“The concept designs provide a first concrete image of the new tram lines, the tunnels, and the future layout of the streets within the project area. We created the concept designs based on previous studies, opportunities, bottlenecks, and objectives,” explains Frank Vanden Bulcke, Integral Project Leader of De Werkvennootschap. “The designs we showed during the Gentspoort fair are not final. Adjustments can still be made based on studies and the input we receive.”
One of the concept designs admired at the fair is the renovated Graaf van Vlaanderenplein. The square will become an even more important hub for buses and trams than it is today.
The project includes the duplication of tram tracks and new stops. An improvement for pedestrians and cyclists is also foreseen: the project provides for smooth walking paths and a bicycle connection between Zuidpark and Tweebruggenstraat.
From ambitions to execution
The concept designs are a first visual representation of the ambitions, principles, and input from civil stakeholders, the study team, and prior participation moments. We are now starting the preliminary design phase, where the concept designs will be further detailed.
Additionally, this year independent experts will begin a project environmental impact report (project-MER). This will assess the effects of the project on the environment, people, and surroundings. The first step in the project-MER is a notification note and an accompanying public consultation. In the notification note, we describe how we intend to investigate the environmental effects of the concept designs on their surroundings.
Later this year, everyone will be able to inspect the notification note. By the end of 2025, we expect to complete the final design. The first groundbreaking is planned at the earliest in 2027.
