16.083 | Boekelose Bridge

The new Boekelose bridge over the Twente Canal is part of the ‘Hart van het Zuid’ boulevard. It connects the centre of Hengelo with the A35 motorway. The bridge has neither a superstructure nor external members. In both aesthetic and structural terms, the abutments and deck form one continuous whole. The bridge is an integral structure, therefore without joints or bearings. The deck is a curved steel shell and forms the main structure. This shell also serves as the permanent formwork for a lightweight concrete filling. As such, the bridge presents a new typology, in which the classical division between bridge, abutment and retaining walls has been suspended.