Opening foot and bicycle bridge Saspoortbrug, Diest (BE)

The Saspoort bridge is located at the edge of Diest, spanning the river Demer that flows along the city’s old fortifications. This new infrastructure replaces an existing bridge constructed above a historical river lock, with the primary objective of increasing cyclist traffic capacity as part of the Flemish cycling highway network, connecting Diest to its suburbs while creating an additional new connection point.

The design approach centred on a single curved arc in plan that wraps around the historical lock. This unifies the existing and new connections while enhancing the spatial quality of the site and respecting the heritage structure. The bridge features an open steel section with perforated web plates for visual transparency. It spans approximately 40 m on both sides. The main technical challenge involved designing an open cross-section capable of resisting torsional moments generated by the plan curvature. This was resolved through careful structural engineering, complemented by an ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete deck of just 6 cm thickness. This was a collaboration with Herbosch-Kiere NV (general contractor), CSM Steelstructures (steel subcontractor). The Saspoort bridge is one of the 3 foot and bike bridges we realised in Diest. https://www.diest.be/grote-steunbeer