Zwolle public transport bridge

tender process

The build of this public transport bridge across the railway tracks at Zwolle central station was part of a larger project that involved the relocation of Zwolle’s bus station. We were asked by building contractor BAM to design the bridge that would connect the newly built bus station with the existing network. Out of the four submitted designs, ours was chosen to actually be built.

preventing torsion

The curvy alignment of the bridge was more or less dictated by the existing buildings and infrastructure. The main span across the tracks is a massive 80 meter. For this, we used a tubular steel beam. All other parts of the bridge structure are made out of concrete, the central beam, bridge deck and intermediate supports. Because of the curvy alignment, preventing torsion was one of the main structural challenges

relaxed atmosphere

The feature that made our bridge design stand out from the other ones is the bamboo ceiling. As the area underneath the bridge is intended to eventually become an elongated inner-city recreational zone, we gave the concrete structure a welcoming, more relaxed appearance by applying the wood.