Wijnegem Road Bridge in Pole Position for BENELUX Steel Bridge Award

The new road bridge over the Albert Canal in Wijnegem has been nominated for the biennial BENELUX Steel Bridge Contest, with the winners to be announced on 11 February. Within the Arcadis–Sweco consortium, we played a key role in this project, taking on responsibilities such as modelling and the structural analysis of the slender steel bridge structure.

Landmark Over the Albert Canal

The road bridge in Wijnegem is one of two bridges replacing the iconic “banana bridge”. It is an essential piece of the larger redevelopment and transformation of the canal area downstream of the Wijnegem lock. The project was delivered thanks to an intensive, multidisciplinary collaboration between De Vlaamse Waterweg nv and the Arcadis–Sweco consortium, who engaged ZJA Architects & Engineers for the architectural design.

For this subproject, Sweco took on a wide range of tasks:

• the full mobility concept, including traffic impact mitigation and traffic simulations,
• modelling and structural design of the steel bridge structure,
• the design of the drainage system,
• preparation of permit applications,
• support with the tender documentation,
• and construction supervision.

Awards for Top‑Level Steel Engineering

With this competition, the trade journals Infosteel (Belgium) and Bouwen met Staal (the Netherlands) aim to highlight outstanding bridge projects. They reward achievements—from fixed bridges to movable structures—that excel in design, craftsmanship, and innovative steel applications. The initiative aims to inspire and motivate clients, architects, engineers, steel builders, and other project partners to embrace smart steel and steel‑concrete solutions in infrastructure.

For this edition, project teams could submit bridges completed or commissioned between 2023 and 2025. From 49 entries, a six‑member jury selected 10 nominations for the biennial award. The road bridge in Wijnegem is among the nominees in Category A – Road Bridges.

Inland Shipping Four Containers High on the Albert Canal

Sweco and Arcadis support De Vlaamse Waterweg nv in its mission to raise all bridges over the Albert Canal to a clearance height of 9.10 metres, enabling inland vessels to safely and efficiently pass with four stacked container layers.

We carried out the preliminary study and continue to follow up the PPS‑DBFM bridges during execution. When we joined the project in 2014, only half of the 62 bridges met the required clearance. The Wijnegem bridge became the final piece of this large‑scale upgrading programme.

With the removal of the old bridge in Wijnegem in 2024, the project’s objective was fully achieved. Since then, the Albert Canal has been fully accessible across Flanders for inland shipping with four‑layer container transport.

Visualisations: © ZJA // Photos: © De Vlaamse Waterweg nv