A new cycle bridge over Haachtsesteenweg, connecting Vilvoorde and Brussels Airport cargo zone, was inaugurated on 27 April by the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters, and Brussels Airport Company CEO, Arnaud Feist.
This bridge improves the connection between the centre of Vilvoorde and Brucargo, the logistics zone of Brussels Airport, and constitutes an important link for cycling accessibility around Brussels Airport. Moreover, employees living north of Brussels can now bike to the airport safely and much more comfortably than before.
[the bridge is] 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.
Lydia Peeters, Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works
“This new cycle bridge provides, a smooth and safe connection for bike commuters who work in the Brussels Airport cargo zone”, said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company CEO, at the inauguration. ” 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.”
The bridge over Haachtsesteenweg is 40 metres long and weighs 76 tonnes, the steel structure being lifted into the abutments by a crane in only one night, between 17 and 18 May 2022. To complete the F214 cycle highway, one kilometre of new cycle paths were built on either side of the cycle bridge, while 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.
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.
In addition to making its land available, Brussels Airport also invested €200,000 in the project. The European Union contributed €700,000 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), while the remainder of the investment of around €900,000 came from the Flemish government.
